


Harmony

by Smcstrav



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Era, Class Differences, Gen, Humor, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Musicians, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-30
Updated: 2015-07-30
Packaged: 2018-04-12 03:58:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 62,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4464614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smcstrav/pseuds/Smcstrav
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Only those of the nobility have ever been considered for musical apprenticeships. When Camelot's Master Musician comes on a search, he discovers that unknown to everyone, including Merlin, the servant is a prodigy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Taste

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for 'Chronicles of Camelot' challenge where it won the 'Best Story' award!! 
> 
> I like the idea of Merlin surprising people by having talents other than magic. This story is set during season 1 and can be considered AU since the talent I've given our warlock certainly didn't show up in BBC canon. It's also historically inaccurate given that the (not to give it away yet!) 'tools' I've described Merlin using in later chapters would not have existed in medieval times. But hey, neither did magic or dragons, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first chapter is set during Merlin's childhood, but the rest of the story is set sometime during Canon Season 1.

The minstrels arrived on a perfect summer's day. The weather had been warm, the skies blue, the berries ripe and plentiful for the picking, and the day's hunt successful. As result, the entire village had turned out to Campfire that evening, and everyone was in great spirits and in full voice.

Hunith smiled as she watched her little dark-haired boy. Merlin sat, mouth agape and chin resting on both hands as he listened to the minstrels. The child was so awestruck that he'd forgotten to sing, a rare occurrence for usually vocal 7-year old boy.

Merlin had seen singers before of course; Ealdor was not far from one of the main trade roads between Camelot and Essetir, and the troubadours often stopped for a night or two on their way to the large cities. Usually, they came alone or in pairs: a singer and a lutist, and sang teaching songs, or spirited jigs and reels that would set the villagers to dancing and clapping. But this group was bigger and better than most. The six were bound for Camelot to sing for the King's birthday celebration a week hence and were practicing for the event, so the villagers had a rare chance to hear some music normally reserved for Courts and Kings.

Hunith understood Merlin's wonder entirely. Campfire was usually all about singing joy or thanks or grief, and these needed the full raw voice that the good peasant stock of the town sang so rightly and so well. But what Merlin was hearing now was meant to tug on the heartstrings; to bring the listener to a different place and wrap him up in beauty.

Hunith doubted that many of her townsfolk understood the point of this type of music, but one look at Merlin told her the child knew instinctively what it was all about. So she was not surprised when the questions came as she held his hand while they walked back to their small hut.

Well, Hunith walked. Merlin skipped along, his joy in what he'd heard leaving him far too excited to do something so mundane as walk.

"Mother, what were they doing?" finally came the first question.

"Merlin, they were singing," she answered in amusement, knowing full well that this was not at all what Merlin was asking.

"Yes, but they were all doing something different, not like when we usually sing at Campfire," the small boy persisted, looking up at his mother.

"It's called 'harmony', Merlin. Good singers, like those minstrels, are able to listen to each other and sing different notes together to make a song prettier.

"It was just… It was just… oooohhhh… I _wish_ I could do it too," pined the youngster, shaking his head wistfully.

"Well, if you're a good boy and finish your chores properly, then maybe tomorrow I can teach you a little bit before bedtime," promised Hunith.

"Really?" Merlin asked, eyes wide and incredulous, as though she'd offered to fly him to the moon.

"Yes, really!" Hunith could only laugh and ruffle her son's hair as they reached their little home.

* * *

Hunith groaned sleepily as she began to sit up in her cot, wondering what had woken her up in the middle of the night.

"Merlin, what are you doing?" she asked as she heard a banging coming from their small eating area, where by the dim glow of the damped cook fire she could see her young son busy sweeping the floor.

"Oh, I'm sorry mother. I didn't mean to wake you," came a small startled voice. "I couldn't sleep, and I thought I should just get started on our chores early because I know you don't like me to use my magic for them and I wanted to be _sure_ we'd have enough time for singing tomorrow."

"Well, I rather think it's 'today' by now," replied his mother, amused in spite of her interrupted sleep.

When she saw Merlin's face begin to light up in expectation of an early start, she became stern. "But Merlin, it's _far_ too early for you to be up. It's still the middle of the night, and I want you to go back to your sleeping pallet right this moment."

"But Mother, I've tried and tried and I just can't sleep," he complained, lower lip beginning to tremble.

Unable to resist her little boy's dejection, Hunith relented and held out her arms. "Come here then, you can come in with me this one time."

Once he'd joyfully bounded over to her, Hunith lifted Merlin into her bed and snuggled him in close.

"Merlin, your feet are like ice!" she exclaimed, and as he giggled at the traditional complaint, she began to hum one of the same lullabies that she had used so often when he was still a babe. As her son began to drift off into sleep, she felt a pang of melancholy, realizing he was almost at the age where he would stop wanting such cuddles.

* * *

Morning – real morning – eventually came to the household, and Merlin certainly had not lost any of his enthusiasm from the night before. The moment his eyes opened to the sunlit room, he rushed out of the bed and grabbed the bucket on the floor beside their hearth.

"Mother, I'm going to get the water," he shouted as he headed to the door, anxious to get a start on his chores.

"Merlin," said Hunith in exasperation, "Please put on your trousers before you go outside!"

"Oh!" said Merlin, eyes widening in embarrassment. He put down his bucket and ran across the house, starting to remove his nightshirt even before he'd reached the corner that held his pallet and the small chest of drawers where his clothes were kept.

Hunith could only shake her head in amusement as she watched him throw the nightclothes on his bed and then hop around while trying to pull on his trousers in his hurry.

Finally though, he was dressed and able to get under way with a cheery eagerness that endured for the entire day. The chores had never been done so well, and with nary a hint of magic!

It was not long after they had finished cleaning up after their dinner when the boy finally dared to ask, "Mother could we _please_ sing now?"

Hunith smiled broadly, "Yes, Merlin, I think we can. You've been very helpful today, so come and sit down right here with me, and we can start."

Once he was sitting down in front of her, she said, "Now, I want you to sing something – just pick one of your favourite songs. I'm going to add in a harmony so you can hear how it works."

And so Merlin started to sing in the clear, sweet voice that his mother so loved. Hunith joined the melody for his first verse, and then when he started the second she added in a very simple harmony a little bit above.

Merlin's eyes opened wide, and he listened raptly, his eyes fixed on her mouth as she sang, clearly enjoying what he heard.

Once they reached the third verse, she nodded at him to continue and this time she placed her harmony a little bit lower than his melody.

"So you see, I've been singing the same words and the same rhythm as you have, but I've been picking notes that are a little bit higher or lower," she explained once they came to the end of the song.

Merlin nodded enthusiastically, "Ohhh yes, mother, I understand. Can we do it again with a different song?"

At her answering smile, Merlin immediately started into another one of his favourites.

Seeing that Merlin had the idea, Hunith gradually began to use slightly more complicated harmonies, sometimes adding a high descant line or a variation to the main rhythm, and all the while Merlin listened intently as he sang, taking it all in.

Finally they paused for a break to have a cup of tea, and Merlin said, "Mother, I think I understand, but I want to try it too. Can we sing _your_ favourite song now, and may _I_ do the harmony this time?"

Hunith chuckled, "Well that one's a bit complicated, but we can certainly try it if you'd like."

Smiling at Merlin's serious little face and closed eyes as he concentrated on the song, she started her melody, only to stop in shocked surprise after just a few lines. Coming from the throat of her oblivious boy was a beautiful, pure and haunting counter-melody, which was _much_ more complicated than the simple harmonies she'd been showing him, even the ones she'd sung just before they'd had their tea.

She had always known he had a lovely voice, but this was obviously a gift far beyond what she'd ever imagined, a gift that she knew he must have inherited from his father.

Tears sparked in her eyes as she thought about her beloved Balinor. He had been trained as a singer long before he'd become a Dragonlord and then had to flee Camelot, ending up in her care.

Hunith was taken back to that brief but happy time in her life and remembered when he had taught her this same song sitting in almost this very spot.

Unfortunately, his mother's abrupt stop caused Merlin to open his eyes and look up in alarm. Reaching up he dried her eyes with his fingers, and said, "Mother, why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?"

"No sweetling, you did everything just perfectly," she said, engulfing the boy in a tight hug and then setting him back in front of her.

"I'm sorry I stopped, but your harmony made me think of someone I once knew," she added with a sad smile. "Now, would you like to do that again?" she said, putting her hand under his chin.

"Oh yes please, as long as it doesn't make you cry anymore."

Hunith chuckled at his sweet concern and then began her song once more.

As Merlin added in his harmony, she couldn't help thinking that here was another talent that set her boy apart from his townsfolk. Luckily this one might eventually be able to provide him with an excuse to leave the village, and an opportunity for a better life – something he was unlikely to find with his magical talents, at least not this close to Camelot.

For now though, it could prove dangerous. If it was discovered, he may be whisked away to some Court as a musician's apprentice, and she did not want to risk that happening until he fully understood how to control his magic. Well, that and, she admitted to herself with another smile, she just wasn't ready for her baby to leave her just yet.


	2. Arrival

Many years after Merlin had had his first taste of Court music, the young servant stared out of Arthur's window, a half-polished gauntlet forgotten in his hand. He was laughing at the spectacle of two men struggling to carry a large, unwieldy object towards the castle while a small woman angrily gestured at them, apparently providing complicated instructions as to how they were meant to hold the item.

"What's so funny," asked a familiar voice. Merlin had been so engrossed in watching the goings on outside the window that he had not noticed the Prince enter the chambers.

Arthur came over to stand beside him at the window in order to see what had captured his servant's attention.

Guiltily, Merlin gave the gauntlet a last half-hearted swipe before giving up and using the glove to point at the woman. "She looks like she'd fit right in with your knights, the way she's ordering people all about with those hand signals," he said, waving his arms to demonstrate.

Arthur smiled, "Yes indeed she would, Merlin."

Nodding towards the woman he added, "Master Musician Randall is arriving. That's his wife down there…. Very particular about the instruments, as you can see!"

"So, _Mer_ lin you'd better watch your step," Arthur joked, giving his servant a friendly shove. "I wouldn't want to see you fall into that drum or something. She's likely to take your own skin to repair it."

Merlin glared at the Prince for a moment, but then his curiosity got the better of him and he turned back to the window without bothering to retort.

"Is that what that is, then?" he said almost to himself.

Continuing a bit more loudly he explained, "I mean, I thought it must be, but I couldn't really tell from here. I don't think I've ever seen a drum as large as that before!"

Turning back towards Arthur he said teasingly, "It looks big enough that it could be used to summon your knights back all the way from Mercier for dinner or something! Not that most of them would need much calling if food was involved."

Arthur rolled his eyes.

"See that man over there?" said the Prince, pointing beyond the drum carriers towards where a carriage and three large wagons were lined up at the edge of the courtyard.

Merlin could see a large, well-dressed man directing some Camelot servants in removing some carefully wrapped bundles from one of the wagons.

"That's the Master," said Arthur.

"Oh," responded Merlin, squinting so he could see the man more clearly. "And what's that he's having brought into the castle?"

"I'd say those were lutes and maybe even viols. We have some lutes here in the castle of course, but the Master insists on bringing his own when he travels," answered Arthur a bit indignantly.

"Something about 'the timbre is not adequate in Camelot-made instruments'," he added in his most pretentious voice.

Merlin snorted in amusement. "Well, he might have a point. I've heard some of your court musicians, and honestly the lutes here do have this sort of plunking thing going on, unless it's just the lute _players_."

"Right, Merlin. As if you'd know anything about it," snapped Arthur, angry on behalf of Camelot at the idea that a peasant servant apparently agreed with the Master.

"Oh, come on, Arthur," Merlin answered, surprised by Arthur's reaction, "I've heard plenty of musicians before. Good ones, too!"

"They do come to Ealdor from time to time you know," he added.

"Yes, well Master Randall is not just ANY musician," said Arthur trying to steer the subject away from Camelot's lute-making inadequacies.

"He's the Senior Master of the Art and was assigned to his post by my father personally."

When Merlin just raised his eyebrows, rather than looking suitably impressed, the Prince explained, "He acts as a sort of diplomatic liaison to other courts. Everyone loves to have a Master Musician on hand, and you'd be surprised what information he's been able to give to my father."

Merlin still looked somewhat underwhelmed, so Arthur said, "And of course, he's also responsible for finding and teaching the best talent from all over Camelot."

That brought a smile, and Merlin said hopefully, "Oh? I didn't realize he was going to teach while he was here."

"That must be why there are so many families crowding into the town this last week. I've heard that every Inn is full," he added.

"Yes, exactly, Merlin. Apparently you are not as unobservant as you appear! Noble families have indeed come from all over Camelot, and even from some of the neighbouring kingdoms, in hopes that their children might get a chance to study with a Master Musician."

Merlin frowned, " _Noble_ families? Does he only teach the nobility?"

"Well, ye-es…. I'd think that should be obvious," answered the Prince uncertainly.

The logic apparently was not obvious to Merlin though, for he said crossly, "That doesn't seem very fair. Why only from the nobility? Commoners can also have musical talent too you know!"

Arthur laughed, "Well, it's possible that some have a knack for simple types of music, I suppose. But real mastery of any of the arts, especially music, takes years of study, a refined ear and the pure but complex soul that is the hallmark of good bloodlines.

Merlin's scowl deepened in direct proportion to his anger, although Arthur did not seem to notice it.

"And, no offence, but where would any commoner be able develop the intelligence to really understand the intricacies of court music," the Prince concluded.

Merlin gave Arthur a hard glare before snapping, "I can't believe you just said that, you pretentious prat. You sound just like your father!"

Arthur opened his mouth in surprise at his servant's outrage, but before the Prince could say anything, Merlin said, "You should know better than anybody that commoners can have every bit as 'pure and complex souls' as any noble. And many are just as intelligent."

Waving the gauntlet he still held in his hand at the Prince, he continued his rant, "Even more so from what I've seen since I've been here."

Arthur wisely held his tongue as his servant began to pace, punctuating his words by stabbing at the air with the gauntlet he'd seemingly forgotten that he still held.

"And it's not really _our_ fault if we need to spend every waking minute in toiling for ungrateful _prats_ in order to earn enough to be sure we've got food on the table for our children. It doesn't leave time for luxuries like _studying_ _music._ "

"Merlin, you don't even _have_ any children," Arthur tried to interject with a smile at his manservant's passion, but Merlin didn't even notice.

"I mean, even I know how to sing, and my mother _loves_ my singing voice," the angry warlock continued almost without a breath.

Stopping his pacing in order to glare at Arthur as if daring him to disagree he added, "She said it would be worthy of any court!"

Arthur snorted in amusement at this statement. "And I'm sure your mother also likes squawking geese and the cawing of crows, Merlin," he teased.

Judging by the death glare Merlin was now directing at him, the Prince realized he may just possibly have crossed a line with his comment. So without giving any chance for Merlin to respond, he pushed on, trying to make his servant see reason. "I'm _prettttty_ sure that the music you heard and sang in Ealdor doesn't come close to the intricacy and beauty of the music here," he said. "You've heard Court music. Tell me I'm wrong…."

That stopped the servant in his tracks.

Merlin thought back to the reels and jigs that were typical around his hometown's campfire, and found that as much as he wanted to, he could not argue. He knew that although those tunes were fine to sing and dance along to, they held nothing in comparison to the performances he had heard any number of times in Uther's Great Hall.

Secretly though, he also knew that the duets he'd sung so often with his mother _were_ more like the Court music. And even though he knew that Arthur had really just been teasing about his mother's musical ear, Merlin was certainly not going to try to explain that. He wondered for the first time how his mother had come to learn them.

Merlin finally sighed in defeat.

"I don't see what you're getting so upset about, Merlin," said the Prince. "I mean, it's not as though you wanted a lesson."

Merlin hesitated before saying quietly, "Well, no…., it's just that…"

But Arthur had picked up on the hesitation and disappointment in his servant's voice, and in a moment of perception, said incredulously, "Wait a minute, that's it isn't it? You _do_ want a lesson with the Master!"

Merlin lowered his eyes in embarrassment before letting his anger and disappointment take free rein.

"Yes, actually I would have liked one, Arthur," he spat. "I like music and I don't see why only the nobility should get that chance!"

Merlin then groaned inwardly, knowing that admitting to a love of music had probably just provided Arthur with months' worth of fodder for teasing about Merlin's less-than-knightly interests. The servant felt his ears reddening as he waited for the retort that was sure to follow his outburst.

After all, Arthur certainly seemed to prefer battle cries to ballads, and what the Prince considered to be 'good music' tended to be more related to its speed and volume than to any intricacy in the song, or virtuosity of the musician.

But to his surprise, the derision never came. Instead, Arthur looked at him rather quizzically and said, "You're serious, aren't you?"

Merlin sighed and nodded, "Yeah, I am. It's something I could only ever dream about in Ealdor, so when you said..., but I guess I should have known better."

Shaking his head fondly, Arthur said softly, "I never would have guessed, Merlin. You are full of surprises as usual."

Arthur continued to look at his servant for a few moments, deep in thought, before saying slowly, "Well, I can't really change the rules, but what I can do is try to volunteer you to serve Master Randall, if he needs anyone that is."

At Merlin's frown of confusion, the Prince explained, "You may not get an actual lesson, but at least you might be able to listen in on a few that way and pick up a few tricks."

Merlin blinked in surprise at the offer. "You'd do that for me?" he asked happily.

For a moment Arthur had some selfish second thoughts, wondering if he was indeed willing to do without his fr…manservant for the extended period of the Master's visit. But the warm feeling he got when he saw the brilliant smile lighting up the young man's face erased any doubts. The Prince was reminded that this 'thinking of others' thing Merlin had drilled into him time and again, did indeed provide its own rewards.

"Yes, if you'd like," he said, then added teasingly, "It's better than having you pining away and moaning for his whole stay. Maybe I will even manage to go out on a hunt and actually catch something without you there to scare it off before I can even raise my bow!"

Merlin laughed, "Oh, I knew there must be an ulterior motive to your wanting to be rid of me! But thank you, Arthur."

"Don't thank me yet, Merlin," Arthur warned a smile. "After all, even if Master Randall does take you on, for all I know his needs may run more to ensuring that his students' chamber pots are well-cleaned, rather than to anything where you'll actually be in a position to learn something. He has somewhat of a reputation for being … eccentric."

"I appreciate it all the same, Arthur," said the servant with a grin. "Anyway, that wouldn't be any worse than what I do for you every day."

The two young men smiled at each other for a moment, before Arthur turned back to the window and pointed.

"And as you can see that Master Randall is almost finished with what he's doing down there, I need you to help me get ready. My father wants me there to greet the man when he comes into the palace."

"And then we can begin to put our plan into action, Merlin," added the Prince with a laugh, as he flung his arm across his servant's shoulders and began pulling him towards the wardrobe.


	3. The Assignment

Less than half an hour later, Arthur stood beside his father in the Great Hall just in front of the throne, as Master Randall, accompanied by Sir Leon made their way into the room.

Merlin stood against the nearby wall with a couple of other servants, waiting to be called on should the need arise, as both he and the Prince hoped would happen.

"Welcome, Randall," said Uther, clasping arms with the Master. "We are glad to have you back with us!"

"And I am glad to be back, Sire. It's been a long while," answered Master Randall, returning the gesture warmly before nodding towards Arthur with a smile.

"Arthur was just a treble-voiced boy the last time I was here!" he added, much to the Prince's embarrassment.

"Well, I'm not a boy any longer, Master Randall," the Prince answered in a deep voice, sparing a glare at his manservant who was pursing his lips together in an attempt to stifle a laugh.

Trying to ignore the young warlock, Arthur turned back towards the Master, cleared his throat and smiled regally. "And I also bid you welcome to Camelot," he said. "I trust your stay here will be pleasant."

"I have no doubts, young Prince," said the Master. "Camelot's reputation for hospitality and refinement is well-known, and in fact is something I always try to convey when I am visiting foreign courts on her behalf."

Uther answered with a smile, "As you should, Randall, as you should!"

"Now, as you have just arrived from a long journey, shall I have you shown to your rooms?" continued the King. "Your wife has already found her own way there, or so I've been told."

"Yes that would not surprise me," the Master laughed. "Mathilda never did have much patience for greeting ceremonies, Uther. Her passion is for her teaching, so she is no doubt already setting up her drums somewhere to make ready for her students."

"Yes, and apparently she has commandeered half of the household staff, along with my ward, to assist her," Uther laughed. "We have cleared an entire conservatory for her in the east wing of the castle – well away from any sleeping quarters this time, I might add."

"Well thought, Sire!" said Master Randall. "She does get enthusiastic with her drums, and encourages her students to do so as well."

"Well, that encouragement has always brought her good results, from what I recall," said Uther, still smiling.

Randall nodded and then trying hard to hide a yawn said, "Now, I do not mean to be rude, but you are right about my having had a long journey."

Gesturing towards Leon, he continued, "And as this young knight, has already kindly offered to bring me to my rooms, with your leave I would like to take him up on it."

Arthur caught Merlin's eye at this news, and shrugged at his manservant. Obviously this would not be the hoped-for opportunity to volunteer the boy's services.

Merlin shrugged back, trying not to let his disappointment show, although the Prince could still see it clearly.

"Yes of course, Randall," answered the King. "I shall leave you to settle in. Will you join me for dinner tonight?"

"It would be my pleasure, Sire," answered the Master.

As the four nobles began to walk slowly towards the door, Uther said, "Randall, I have set aside the Small Hall for the duration of your visit, and I believe your viols and lutes are being brought there directly, even as we speak."

"Wonderful, Sire. With your permission, I would like to go there immediately after I've had my things unpacked in my chambers. I am almost as anxious as my wife to start getting things set up."

"Sir Leon can certainly show you the room," said the King. "It's on the way to your chambers, in any case."

Randall nodded his thanks. Then just before he headed out into the corridor, he turned to the King and asked, "Would it be too much trouble to arrange for a meal to be brought to me there, and perhaps to have one of your people sent to help me? I will likely need someone to fetch and carry, and do some other general tasks for several hours until I have everything settled to my liking."

"Certainly, Randall. I will have someone sent and waiting for you in the room when you arrive," said the King, as the Master headed out into the hallway with Sir Leon.

Once Randall had taken his leave, and before Uther had a chance to make any other arrangements, Arthur spoke up, "Father, I will send my manservant to do the Master's bidding, if you'd like."

Uther looked at the Prince skeptically and said, "Why? Normally you don't let him out of your sight. Has he done something to displease you?"

Arthur tried to look offended, "No! Of course not. I'm just trying to be hospitable. And I've promised Morgana I would go riding in the forest with her this afternoon, once she has seen to Master Randall's wife. Merlin is generally more of a hindrance than a help on this type of excursion, so I can easily free him to help the Master."

Uther glanced over at the servant and laughed, "I can well imagine he's not much of a horseman!" he said, before nodding his approval, "Very well, Arthur. Arrange it."

"Yes, Sire," said the Prince, and once the King had left the room Arthur beckoned Merlin over.

"Success, Merlin!" said the Prince. "The Master has asked for someone to serve him this afternoon, and I have managed to get you assigned to the duty."

Arthur grinned at his servant's sudden look of alarm. Apparently, the young man who could face down both Kings and magical beasts was now nervous about meeting a musician.

"What, now?" asked Merlin, almost seeming to have forgotten that this had been their goal.

"Yes, _now!"_ said Arthur with a laugh. "He wants to get started on setting up the room for his students. I have no idea what he'll want you to do, but don't you dare be late! I'm going to have to put up with Morgana for the whole afternoon just so you can do this, so _promise_ me you'll be the ideal servant! Oh, and pick up a meal for him before you go there."

"Yes, Sire," said Merlin with his usual impertinence, now that his initial surprise at their success was starting to be replaced by excitement. "I will, and I promise!"

As the two young men left the room and made to part ways, Merlin said, "Arthur, Don't forget that I will be out delivering medicine for Gaius tonight. I guess that means I won't see you until tomorrow morning."

"Oh yes, it's Tuesday! I'd almost forgotten!" said Arthur. "It's too bad Gaius is not here. It seems he is likely to be gone for Master Randall's entire stay. Or maybe he timed it intentionally to stay away from the drums!"

Merlin laughed, "That may well be possible. I know he's not a big fan of loud noises. But he may still get back before the Master leaves. He's already been gone for over two weeks, and he told me these medical tours that he makes to the countryside every year usually take around two months."

"Well, I have to say I'm a bit surprised that he's left _you_ in charge while he's gone, Merlin," said the Prince, not wanting to say that he'd been impressed when he had found out about his servant's extra responsibility.

"I'm actually a little bit surprised myself," confessed the young warlock. "But it's only a couple of the very basic types of medicines he's letting me make."

Grinning again at the Prince, he added, "And of course, the hardest thing turned out to be getting the time off to deliver what I'd made."

"Hey, I'm not that unreasonable," said Arthur, remembering the argument they'd had the first week of Gaius' absence. "You _just_ said you wanted Tuesday nights off without bothering to tell me why. You _know_ that's a night I need you to bring me a snack in my rooms."

Merlin laughed, "Yes, ever since Morgana decided that the three of you should have at least one meal a week where you eat, how did she put it, 'to better understand your average citizens'. I think you are missing the point, Arthur."

Arthur waved a finger in his servant's face, "I still can't believe that my father indulged her, but never mind, that. I meant that if I'd known why you needed the evening off, of course I would have given you permission right away, and you know it!"

"Well, I'm glad we got it sorted anyway," Merlin admitted. Actually, Merlin wasn't exactly sure why he hadn't wanted to tell Arthur about his assignment from Gaius, other than his fear that Arthur would doubt his capabilities.

Arthur nodded, smiling again. "So am I. Have fun and be good to Master Randall then, Merlin, and I shall see you tomorrow morning."

"Yes Sire," said Merlin, heading down towards the kitchens with a smile of anticipation.

* * *

No long afterwards, Merlin stood uncertainly by the large table set near the back wall of the Small Hall. He'd placed a tray filled with fruit, cheese and bread on the table but was unsure what to do with himself while he waited for the Master Musician to arrive.

Other than the one that now held the food, the rest of tables that usually filled the room had been removed. It looked like most of the chairs had been left, though they had been pushed towards the walls, and were stacked in twos all around the perimeter of the room. Merlin had no doubt that they'd need to be moved again… somewhere, but as he had no idea of how many, or where the Master would want them, he decided it was best just to leave them as they were for now.

The floor had already been swept and looked fairly clean, to Merlin's eye at least. He doubted it would pass Gwen's inspection though, as he could still see some ashes on the floor near the fireplace, and some smudges and scrapes here and there, likely made when the furniture had been moved.

Also along the wall nearest to the window were around twenty five padded linen sacks of various sizes. Merlin recognized these as the lutes and viols that Arthur had pointed out not so long ago. The young warlock wanted nothing more than to remove one of the instruments from its casing in order to take a closer look, but wisely decided that this would not be the best way to impress the Master.

He also concluded that opening up the large box that had been left beside the table would not be a good idea, since he had no idea whether the musician may have stored any private items inside it.

So, thinking that it would probably look better if he was busy when Master Randall arrived, Merlin decided that he would sweep the floor. Unfortunately, there did not seem to be any broom in the room so Merlin headed to the door intending to make the quick trip to the storeroom at the end of the hall.

Just as he made to open the door though, the Master came through, carrying another box and causing Merlin to jump back in surprise.

"Oh, hello boy," he said. "Are you the one who is to help me this afternoon?"

"Yes, Sir," answered Merlin. "I've brought you some lunch. It's over on the table," he added gesturing towards the back of the room.

"Good, good," said Master Randall coming into the room and holding the box out toward Merlin, who looked at it uncertainly, wondering what he was meant to do with it.

"Well, don't just stand there, boy, bring that over to the table and start unpacking it while I have a bite to eat. I need you to do the same for that box on the floor," he said, pointing to the box Merlin had noticed earlier.

"Yes, Sir," said Merlin, taking the box with a small smile, glad to have something to do at last.

The young servant walked over to the table, and placed the box on the side opposite to where he'd laid out the meal. After he set it down he turned and noticed that Master Randall had not followed. Rather he was turning in a slow circle, taking in everything that was placed in the room.

Shaking his head, the Master huffed, "They certainly have not the faintest inkling about how to arrange a room for the teaching of music!"

"Would you like me to move things around for you, Sir?" Merlin asked, eager to show the Master that he was ready to be put to work.

"All in good time, boy," answered Master Randall, "For now, I'd prefer it if you empty those boxes. Just set the things out neatly on the table so they are handy to me. After I eat something, I will tell you how I want things set up," he promised.

* * *

Merlin left the Master to his meal, and curiously opened the large box, wondering what tools a music Master would use when teaching.

Peering inside, Merlin frowned in confusion before drawing out a bundle of about twenty candles.

Placing them at the edge of the table, he reached back inside. This time he took out a very large pot of clear golden honey, followed by a bottle filled with a fragrant liquid of what seemed to be some sort of pine and lavender mixture and another that smelled like peppermint.

Merlin placed these beside the candles and frowned again, a little bit of disappointed. These where hardly the treasures he'd been expecting to find.

Having finished unpacking the large box, Merlin opened the smaller one he'd set on the table earlier. This one promised to be a bit more interesting, when the first thing he found inside was a writing kit, complete with several quills and a small knife for cutting them, three pots of ink, and five or six pieces of parchment.

Finally Merlin allowed himself a smile as he slowly opened a long linen envelope that turned out to hold a viol bow along with many lengths of black horse hair. Reverently he rubbed his finger along the smooth wood before placing the package carefully on the table on the other side of the candles from where he'd put the bottles earlier.

The warlock's smile grew even deeper as he pulled out a large stack of parchment covered with lines and symbols. Merlin recognized it as being written music. He put this by the quills and ink.

Next came a large number of gut strings of various thicknesses and lengths, followed some wooden pegs that Merlin knew were used to tune the instruments. Last he pulled out a large, hard lump of some sort of reddish-gold resin.

Merlin gave it a sniff; 'pine' he concluded, before setting it down with the rest of the lute and viol accessories.

"Are you quite finished fondling my things, boy?" asked Master Randall from right beside the young servant.

"Um, yes," stammered Merlin, jumping in surprise. He had not noticed that the Master had finished his meal and was now watching him intently.

"I mean, no!" Merlin attempted to correct himself, "I mean, I wasn't fondling them Sir, I was just curious. But I'm all finished unpacking the boxes," he said. And trying to change the subject he added, "Would you like me to bring your tray back to the kitchen right away, or would you prefer me to get started on something else?"

The Master glared at him for a few moments before saying, "Boy, if you are going to work for me then I expect you to keep your hands off of my supplies unless and until I tell you to do differently. Do I make myself clear?"

Merlin gulped. "Ye-yes Sir," he stammered guiltily.

"I cannot have some serving boy handling these things like they are a child's toys. Some of them are quite delicate and cannot be batted around like cookware!"

Merlin narrowed his eyes a bit at the reprimand, and began to wonder if working for Master Randall was such a good idea after all. It wasn't like he was going to hurt anything, he thought to himself. He'd been very careful and had just been appreciating the objects. Anyway, none of the ones he'd unpacked had seemed particularly fragile, and he should know, he worked with glass for Gaius all the time and never broke it… Well, _almost_ never!

But in the end he simply said "Yes Sir, it won't happen again." It was too early to give up just yet, the warlock and clandestine music student decided.

Nodding, the Master said, "Good! As long as that's understood, I would like to begin setting up the room. At least you've shown some interest in the tools, so that ought to mean I can trust you with them….… what did you say your name was?"

"It's Merlin sir," he stammered, while the Master, only half-listening, took another look around the room.

"Well Marvin, the first thing I want to do is to bring this table away from this wall. In fact I want it brought to the other side of the room near the windows and placed so that the sunlight will be at my back when I am facing my students," he instructed.

Merlin did not dare to correct the Master about his name, and anxious to get on his good side, the servant obediently began to half-drag and half-carry the table across the room. As the lunch tray started to slide, the young warlock chanced a very slight 'adhering' spell to ensure that neither it, nor any of the supplies he'd unpacked only a few minutes earlier would end up in a noisy clatter on the floor.

Wincing at the occasional loud scrape made when the table protested its move, Merlin managed to get it into the new position quite quickly, and then moved a nearby chair into place behind it.

Before he even had time to ask for his next task, the Master said, "Good, that's fine. Now I want you to help me move these viols and lutes over to the back of the room. They should never have been put near the window and exposed to the rain."

Merlin silently agreed. Even though he'd never thought much about handling this type of instrument, to him it was also obvious that they ought to be placed in a less risky place than beside a whole wall of windows.

"How shall we place them?" asked the servant as he began to lift the first sack.

"Be CAREFUL, boy," Master Randall cried as he saw Merlin struggle to get a grip on the wrapping. "Those are fine instruments and not chamber pots!"

Taking it from Merlin he said, "Pick it up like this," and demonstrated how to properly lift the sack by placing one hand around the wrapped neck, pulling the instrument to a vertical position, then using the other hand to support it from the bottom.

Handing it back to Merlin he said, "Line them up, and leave them wrapped and on their sides" he instructed. "In any case I won't need most of them for at least a fortnight, since I don't intend to begin work with the stringed instruments until after I've made my choice of vocalists."

Merlin hid a sigh of disappointment, as he was eager to see an unwrapped viol up close.

After they had finished moving the instruments, they set out the chairs in a large semicircle facing the table and ready for the students who would be starting lessons the next morning.

Once the last chair had been placed, Master Randall wearily sat back down at the table and started looking through the supplies Merlin had placed out earlier. He became so absorbed, that he seemed to have forgotten about the young servant.

After waiting a few moments for his next instructions, and worried that he may be dismissed without having proven his worth, Merlin said, "Master Randall, you must be tired from your journey. Would you like me to bring you a pot of tea when I come back from returning your lunch tray?"

"Yes, that would be just the perfect thing," said the musician, looking up gratefully.

* * *

By the time Merlin returned with the tea, the Master had taken out a lute and was peering intently at one of his music sheets while softly strumming, although he stopped and looked up when the servant came into the room.

"Thank you, boy," he said. "Now if you will get bring over that pot of honey, I will need one large spoonful to be stirred carefully into the cup so that it is perfectly blended."

"Is the honey good for singers then, Sir?" asked Merlin as he stirred. He already knew the answer since Gaius often used it to sooth sore throats. Still, Merlin thought it wise to show his interest in Master Randall's trade.

"Yes, exactly," the man answered after taking a sip from the cup Merlin handed him. "And so is this," he added, putting down his cup and going over to pick up the bottle of fragrant liquid that Merlin had seen earlier.

Handing it to Merlin he said, "Lavender with a hint of pine. This is an infusion from my own workshops and is specially formulated to promote the purity of spirit and calmness my singers need."

Merlin looked at the bottle questioningly, wondering exactly what he was meant to do with it, but he soon got his answer.

"Use three large spoonfuls in a large bucket of water when you clean this floor," said the Master as he sat back down and picked up his teacup again. "It's filthy and I cannot have my students concentrate properly amidst this sort of grime," he added.

"Yes Sir, I'll do that right away," answered Merlin, breathing a sigh of relief that he had not asked if the Master wanted the mixture added to his tea!

* * *

A short time later, Merlin found himself on his knees and dipping his brush into a warm bucket of water. The warlock had to admit that the mixture he'd added to the water was very pleasant on the nose. He'd have to see about using something similar when he did Arthur's floors. It definitely would not hurt his Prince to have something that encouraged calmness, the warlock reasoned with a smile.

He had finished cleaning the floor by the fireplace and moved on to the next section by the time the Master had finished his tea. The young servant subtly watched with anticipation as the musician pushed the pot and teacup over towards the edge of the table and picked his lute back up.

The man spent a few moments tuning the instrument before he began to strum in earnest. Finally he began to sing, his years of training apparent even from the very first notes.

Merlin was suddenly overwhelmed by homesickness; he recognized the tune. Of all of the things he could have played, the Master was singing his mother's favourite song!

Merlin paused his scrubbing for a moment, caught up in the melody. But then he realized what he was doing and reluctantly put his brush back to the floor. It wouldn't do to get dismissed just when he'd finally started to hear some music.

As he worked though, the song took hold in his heart, and quite without him even realizing it, he began to softly add in the same, beautiful countermelody that he'd first worked out, and then perfected at his mother's knee so many years ago.

All of a sudden he noticed that he was singing alone and looked up, startled, straight into the Master's eyes. But rather than anger, he saw surprise and curiosity there.

"Boy, who taught you that?" the man asked. "Where did you learn it?"

Unknown to Merlin, the song was the Master's own composition - a hallmark song he used to end his concerts at only the highest-ranking of Courts. Master Randall did not see how the boy could have mastered the song at Camelot, since it had not been sung there for many years.

"Well?" the Master insisted, when the surprised young servant made no immediate answer.

"Um,… at home," stammered the boy. "It's my mother's favourite and she taught it to me when I was small," he explained.

'Ah,' thought the Master, nodding thoughtfully. That made more sense. The mother must have served at this or some other court and had heard the song long ago.

"I'm sorry," said Merlin breaking into the Master's musings. "I did not mean any disrespect, but when I heard the music, I just couldn't help myself. Some songs just have this way of taking over my brain," he added sheepishly and causing the Master to smile to himself.

"Do they now?" Master Randall exclaimed, while trying to appear stern. All the while he was wondering if what he'd heard so briefly was the hint of the rare talent that it was his life's work to seek out. But in a kitchen boy? How could the muse possibly manifest itself there? Still, the Master decided that he had to know more.

"It's fine, boy. You just caught me by surprise. In fact I have not heard that harmony before, and it shows some promise. Come over here and sing it with me properly this time."

Merlin put the brush that he still clutched in his hand back into the bucket, and nervously stood to join the Master. He had never dared to hope that he would actually be asked to sing with the man.

* * *

Master Randall had them sing through the song together twice, and then asked Merlin to sing his harmony twice more alone, while the Master took a few notes.

The young servant was only too happy to comply, and after no more than half of a verse, he had already adopted the eyes-closed stance that he almost always ended up in when he was fully concentrated on his music. His mother had often teased him that he appeared to be away in his own world when he got like this, but Merlin actually likened it more to what he felt when he was using his magic – a communion with the great world around him, rather than an isolation from it.

Master Randall did not question it. On the contrary, the Master knew that this ability to shut out everything but the music was another sign of the boy's talent.

Finally, the Master musician had heard enough to know that he needed to find a way to keep the boy close during his stay in Camelot. Even though it went against all protocol to teach Court music to a commoner, Randall vowed that he would find a way, although he had to make sure neither his noble students, nor the serving boy himself realized what he was up to – at least not for now.

"That's enough, Marvin," he said. "As fascinating as it has been to hear a peasant interpretation of this song, I need to get back to my real preparations for the morrow, and you've got the rest of the floor to clean before I let you leave."

"Yes, of course, Sir," said Merlin heading back to his bucket. He was disappointed at having to stop so soon, but happy to have had at least a small chance to sing with a Master musician.

Before long, he had finished his scrubbing and stood up slowly, wiping his hands on his trousers to dry them.

Master Randall did not look up from where he was transcribing a few lines of music, even when Merlin walked to the table and said, "I'm finished the floor, Sir. Should I take the tea things back to the kitchen now, or is there something else you would like me to do?"

"Yes, that's fine, boy. Take them, and then you are dismissed. I have no more need of you today," the Master answered.

Merlin collected up the dishes quietly, and said, "Thank you for letting me sing with you, Master Randall."

When the Master just hummed, "Yes, yes," and waved Merlin away without looking up, Merlin headed toward the door. He was very disappointed that his time with the musician seemed to be at an end, even before he'd had a chance to see any lessons.

The young servant was completely unaware of how the Master had looked up and watched him appraisingly as he left the room.

* * *

It was only a few hours later that Master Randall and his wife sat in the dining room with the King and his ward, eating a light dinner. Uther had insisted on something 'fit for the royal table' rather than indulging Morgana as he usually did on Tuesdays.

Arthur had not joined them. He had been invited to dine with one of the highest ranking of the visiting noble families, and Uther felt that it would be a good opportunity to build relations with them.

"So, was everything to your satisfaction?" the King asked his guests.

"Yes, it is now," said Mathilda. "And I have the Lady Morgana to thank for much of that," she added. "One of my drums and all of the flutes had been brought to the wrong room, but she set everything to rights before I had even had a chance to ask."

"It was nothing," answered Morgana with a smile. "I was happy to help. Did you get everything set up in your room as well, Master Randall?"

"Almost," answered the musician, "although I believe I will have need of a servant to keep things running smoothly."

"I don't usually ask for one," he continued. "We've brought one of our first year apprentices to do our bidding. But as our teaching rooms are quite far apart this time, it will not be practical for her to serve both Mathilda and me, so I thought I might impose on one of yours, Uther."

Master Randall had talked to his wife about the talented young servant he'd seen, and she had suggested this simple excuse to get the boy assigned to her husband.

"Certainly, Randall," answered the King. "I will have someone sent to you first thing in the morning."

"Actually, Sire, the boy who served me this afternoon will do just fine, if you would allow me to borrow him for my stay here," the musician answered.

"Are you sure you really want _that_ boy?" answered Uther raising his eyebrows in surprise. "He's…well… clumsy would almost be a compliment. I'd be afraid that he would break one of your fine instruments, if you want my opinion. I can get you someone much better if you would allow."

"No, he will do fine, Uther. He has a certain aesthetic appeal that seemed to summon my creativity. I managed to write half of a new song while he was puttering about the room. I cannot really explain it, but I must have him if it is at all possible."

Uther looked over at Morgana with a look of astonishment. Arthur's manservant had 'aesthetic appeal'? Unbelievable!

Morgana simply smiled back and then turning to the musician said, "He is very sweet, Master Randall, and I think he will do a good job for you."

"Well, I would not deny you, if you have already made your decision, Randall. The boy will be sent to you immediately after the morning meal," said Uther with a shrug. "Now, let us talk no more of servants," continued the King, having obviously had enough of the subject.

"How will you be choosing your students?" asked Morgana curiously. She had not been in Camelot the last time the Master had gone through the selection process.

"Well, first my wife and I will test all of the student hopefuls in relatively large groups, and we will weed out all who we cannot hope to train as singers, as that is the minimum skill that each candidate must have," explained Master Randall.

Mathilda continued, "After that we will assess each remaining students through individual lessons, so that we may judge not only their musicality, but also their willingness to work hard, along with other qualities that a court musician will need, like diplomacy."

"That must take many lessons, Master," said Morgana with a frown.

"Yes, that takes us around a fortnight, my Lady," said Mathilda, "But after that, we are left with only the students of highest potential, and we can begin to train them in not only voice, but an instrument. All Court Musicians must play at least one instrument, and many play several."

"I do the teaching of voice, lute and viol," said Master Randall, "and my wife is accomplished at drums and flute."

"I am looking forward to the concert at the end of your stay," added Uther. "It is always a pleasure to see the best of our young musicians before they head out for their apprenticeships."

Master Randall smiled broadly, "Yes it is, Uther. It is one of the pleasures of my work. And this time I hope to be able to announce selections not only for the twenty or so places in my retinue, but I also hope that I find one with exceptional talent, so that I may name him or her as my personal apprentice. As you may know, my last one has recently reached his mastery and has been taken on as the Court Musician in Gawant for Lord Godwin."

"I imagine that with such a prize, all of your students will be inspired to work hard," said Morgana, "I know _I_ would."

"Yes, indeed they will," answered Master Randall. "Lady Morgana, you are of a similar age to many of my students. May I ask if you have any friends among the candidates?"

Morgana suddenly looked uncomfortable and turned a distinct shade of red. "Not friends, no," she said, "But actually…I…was hoping to try out myself."

Uther gaped in unkingly surprise at his ward, not having known that she had any musical aspirations, but he did not dare to say anything.

Master Randall nodded, having already been warned. From what his wife had told him, Morgana had hinted about it several times as she showed Mathilda to her teaching rooms.

"Well, for you, my Lady, as you have already been such a help to us, I am willing to let you bypass the first assessments with the groups, and move straight through to the individual testing," said the Master. "Of course, I cannot promise you will be selected to move on from there, but at least you will have your try."

"I don't know what to say, Master Randall," said Morgana with a blinding smile. "I would be honoured!"

Uther smiled with pride at thinking he may have a musical talent in his own household. "Well done, Morgana," he said warmly.

The rest of the meal continued with happy conversation, as the musicians told stories of some of their students from past selections – both good and bad ones, and also told of visits they'd had around Camelot and in neighbouring kingdoms. As Arthur had told Merlin, musicians were usually welcomed as honoured guests.

Finally the evening came to an end, and everyone headed to their rooms, but not before Uther remembered to send a message to Arthur about having loaned his manservant to the visiting Master Musician.

* * *

The next morning, a loud knocking came at the door to the Physician's quarters, just as Merlin was sitting down to eat his breakfast. Poking away in dismay at the soggy mass in his bowl, the young warlock was forced to acknowledge the fact that apparently even magic could not get the lumps out of porridge!

He yawned, wondering how long it would take whoever it was to leave if he didn't answer, and wishing he could go back to his bed for another hour. The previous night's deliveries had taken him a lot longer than expected. After he'd gone to the lower town, an overzealous evening watchman – one of the few that he did not recognize – had not wanted to let him back in through the gates. Merlin had had to wait until the man had finished his shift before he could find another guard to let him in.

Unfortunately, the knocking was quickly turned into pounding, and Merlin realized that he'd have to go to the door.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," he called, before drinking down the rest of his tea. He pushed his spoon around in his porridge one last time before giving up on it in disgust. He hoped he could steal something better from Arthur's plate later on.

"Gaius is away," the warlock said tiredly once he had reached the door and opened it a crack.

"That's fine, because it's you I've come to talk to," answered the guard, suddenly leaning forward and peering into the room with one eye.

When he saw that Merlin didn't intend to open the door any wider, the guard just sighed and said, "The Prince sent me with a message for you."

Merlin frowned, wondering what could be so urgent that Arthur could not wait for him to arrive at his usual time, which was less than an hour later.

"Yes, what is it?" asked the warlock apprehensively.

"Prince Arthur requires you to report immediately to the Small Hall in order to assist Master Musician Randall," said the guard, surprised when Merlin began to smile at the news.

Wondering why this would make the servant so happy, he continued his message, "He told me to tell you that this assignment will last for the duration of the Master's stay in Camelot."

"Oh? He really said that?" said Merlin excitedly, completely forgetting both his earlier fatigue and his fight with his breakfast.

When the guard nodded as best he could through the crack, the servant said, "I'd better get going then." He pulled the door open so quickly in his haste to get underway that the guard had to stop himself from falling into the room.

"Wait," said the guard before Merlin could reach the small stairway leading away from the Physician's quarters.

Once the servant had turned back toward him, the guard said hesitantly, "Prince Arthur also told me to tell you … that you would owe him… several mucking outs of the stables….?"

Merlin's smile got even wider, if such a thing was possible. "Yes, I will," he said, leaving the guard even more confused. "Yes, I really will!"

And with that, the young servant was gone.


	4. Singing Lessons - The Groups

Merlin practically ran to the Small Hall, and as a result got there before Master Randall had arrived. Excited about what he might learn in the coming weeks, the young warlock resolved to give the Master no opportunity to change his mind about keeping Merlin on as a servant.

Just as he had the previous day, Merlin looked around the room uncertainly, wondering where he should start. 'What would George do?' he asked himself, thinking about 'the world's greatest servant'. George would be prepared for anything, he decided, and so armed with that obvious answer, Merlin went down to the storeroom at the end of the hallway and took one of the water-filled buckets that were always available.

Sticking in a finger to test the temperature, he pulled it back with a hiss. The water-carriers had obviously just replenished the stock, because it felt like it was straight from the well.A quietly breathed heating spell and a slight flash of gold later, the warlock tested again and was pleased to discover that he'd managed to heat it just enough to take off the chill. His control using incantations was getting better and better, and in spite of Gaius' frequent admonitions about using his magic for trivial things, Merlin knew that these small opportunities to hone his skill had greatly helped.

With the water taken care of, Merlin added a brush, a broom and some cleaning rags to his collection and headed back to the Hall.

Still seeing no sign of Master Randall, Merlin wondered if he should get started on the windows. In the early morning light he could see some definite streaks and spots left from the light rain that had fallen late in the night. But he hesitated, remembering that the Master had brought his own cleaning concoction for the floors. Maybe he had something special to use on the windows too. After all, there was that other bottle of some unknown liquid still on the table where Merlin had unpacked it.

No, starting on the windows would be too risky, the young servant reasoned. And he did not want to get a meal for the Master, since it was somewhat late and chances were that the man would already have eaten by the time he arrived.

Finally he decided to start on the floors. Even though they'd just been done the day before, at least he knew how the Master liked them to be cleaned. Carefully he added the floor-cleaning mixture to his water and began to scrub, starting in the corner of the room.

He'd been at it for around ten minutes when Master Randall finally arrived.

"Ah, Marvin, I am glad to see that you are punctual," said the musician when he entered the room.

Merlin stood and said, "Yes, Sir. I came as soon as I got the message."

"Good, then you will have been told that I have requested your services for the duration of my stay."

"Yes, Master Randall, I was told," replied the servant. "I've gone ahead and started on the floor; do you want me to keep on with that, or do something else?"

The Master looked at him intently for a few moments while Merlin tried not to fidget. He hoped he had not made the musician angry by taking some initiative and asking rather than waiting quietly for orders.

Well, he behaved the same way with Arthur, so he certainly was not going to turn into a subservient bootlicker for some musician, not even for a chance at music lessons!

The Master eventually said "Peace, boy," and seemed rather amused at the servant's eagerness. "I do have some things that I need you to do before you get to the floors, as I have my own routine while I am teaching and it includes the steps I want taken in order to keep my classroom maintained."

The Master smiled to himself before continuing. Merlin did not need to know that although the musician did indeed have a routine, it did not usually require a servant to be present for more than an hour or so per day. He and his wife had adjusted it quite substantially so that they could find a believable way for the young servant to remain not only close by, but also to be in a position to hear and possibly even participate in some of the lessons.

Oblivious to the shakeup made on his behalf, Merlin waited for the Master to explain his duties. He stifled a moment of panic when he suddenly remembered Arthur's warning about chamber pots, but soon relaxed again since Master Randall had clearly talked about maintaining the 'classroom'.

"Come over to the table and I will explain what I want done," said the musician, crossing the room and placing the lute he'd brought with him on it.

Not knowing exactly when he'd need it again, Merlin carefully put his bucket in corner of the room where it was unlikely to be kicked over by the coming students, before joining the Master who stood beside the table.

"Now, here is how it will work," began Master Randall, hoping he would remember his carefully laid plan.

"First, you will start each morning by cleaning the windows," he said. "They must be slowly polished with a soft cloth. You must use water that has been brought exactly to the temperature of the room, into which 3 measures of this cleaning liquid has been added."

As he had been speaking, the Master had turned towards the supplies on the table, his hand hovering above them until he spotted the bottle he was looking for. Pulling out the one with the mystery liquid, he handed it to Merlin saying, "It is of utmost importance that my students benefit from unhindered sunlight. This bottle holds the finest peppermint oil, which will not only open the senses but also lift the spirits, allowing in the inspiration from the muse."

Merlin widened his eyes in disbelief for a moment at this statement, hiding a snicker in a cough before forcing his eyebrows back down into his original expression of attentive interest. In Merlin's experience, it was not sunlight and mint that invoked ' _the muuusse'_ , it was concentration and listening. But what did he know, maybe the muse chose never to visit Ealdor…..

"Yes Sir, I understand," answered the young servant, hoping he had managed to mask his brief indiscretion. "Would you like me to start that right now?"

Unfortunately, the Master had not missed the boy's skepticism about the peppermint. But although Master Randall had tried to look affronted, he was secretly glad. The ridiculous approach to the window cleaning was among the Master's 'keep the servant close' strategies. The musician actually held that a true talent did not try to rely on external forces to provide motivation. It needed to come largely from within, or even the most gifted student would not progress very far.

"Patience, patience, I have not finished my instructions yet," said the Master, his glare holding Merlin in place when it looked like the young servant was about to head towards his cleaning supplies.

"Before each group of students arrives, you are to ensure that the room is adequately lit," Master Randall instructed. "Use only the candles I have brought for the purpose and be sure to relight any that have gone out, and also to replace any that are sputtering."

Merlin nodded his understanding. He had recognized the candles as pure beeswax, and could well understand why Master Randall would want to use smokeless sources of light when teaching his singing classes.

"Also, you are to bring a fresh pot of tea between each of the classes, and make sure that my honey is close by to use in it," the Master continued, looking back over at the table to see that the pot of golden liquid was still there.

"I will not be offering the students refreshments. However, I may sometimes require one or two of them to take a cup in order to soothe their throats. I cannot risk their voices after all," he explained.

"Yes, Sir," answered Merlin again. So far his duties did not seem very onerous, and other than the reason given for the window cleaning, nothing seemed particularly eccentric either. He wondered what else the Master would have in store for him though.

Taking a seat before looking back up towards the servant, Master Randall pointed out towards the middle of the classroom and said, "Naturally, during the actual lessons you may not walk about, as it will disturb the students. You may use this time to scrub the floors. In any case, I find that the soft, repetitive sound of the brushing can be a help to the students. It provides a small distraction such as they will need to learn to rise above if they wish to gain their mastery."

"In fact, even if the floors have been completed, you may find I will ask you to do them again for this very reason," he added, watching to see Merlin's reaction.

At first, Merlin could not help letting a small sigh escape at this news. He soon perked up again and eventually began to smile when he realized that the prospect of unnecessary floor-scrubbing in the classroom did not dismay him as much as it would have during his usual duties for Arthur. Merlin realized that he would be able to easily listen in on the lessons during that time, and neither the Master nor any of the 'real' students would be any the wiser.

Little did the servant know, but that was precisely what Master Randall had hoped by keeping him at the chore, and when he saw the young servant smile he knew Merlin had drawn the right conclusion.

Satisfied, the Master added his last instruction, "And other times, I may require silence." Pointing over to the chairs that they'd arranged in the middle of the classroom the day earlier, he said, "So I would like you right now to take yourself a chair and place it in the very back of the room. When I ask it, you will wait in that chair quietly unless I call for you."

Merlin turned towards where the Master was looking and said, "Of course, Master Randall," before heading over and doing as he'd been asked.

Once he had placed the chair, Merlin came back to the table where the Master was tuning up his lute and said, "Sir, should I get started on the windows?"

At the quirk of the Master's eyebrow, Merlin rushed to explain, "I mean I _know_ you said I should do it first each day, but I was not sure if your students were about to arrive. I mean, since it is the _first_ day, maybe we are later getting started than usual and it is too late to do the windows and you'd prefer me to get on with the candles and the tea."

"No, Marvin, we have plenty of time," the Master said slowly. "Just do as I've asked, as I do not want to repeat it all again."

"Right away, Master Randall," answered Merlin trying to sound responsible, "You don't have to repeat it; I remember everything. I'll go to the store room for the water and cloth and will get started then."

And so began Merlin's first day of service to Master Randall.

* * *

Over the next few days, Merlin's routine was exactly as Master Randall had instructed. He would clean the windows, and by the time he had finished, Master Randall had arrived and was usually either playing his lute softly to warm up, or looking over his collection of parchments to decide what to teach that day.

Sometimes, if he had time before the students arrived, the musician would sing more loudly, running through some of the exercises he intended to use during the day.

Once the students arrived, he would relentlessly put them through their paces, leaving them with barely a moment to take a breath during the lesson. Merlin thought it was no wonder the Master needed the tea nearby! Several times a girl or boy would come and gulp down the sweetened cup that Merlin would prepare and hand to them.

Between the lessons, while Merlin was refreshing the candles or fetching tea for the next group, Master Randall made notes about his students. Occasionally he even asked Merlin to supply a name or asked the young servant if he remembered whether the singer had faltered at the high or the low end of the scale or in the middle of the arpeggio. A few times, to Merlin's pleasure, the Master even asked him to repeat an exercise, letting on that he needed Merlin to show him where the student had made a mistake.

The musician smiled to himself that the boy always did seem to recall exactly what he'd heard, and could already sing some of the more complicated exercises with ease. It was no doubt time to put the second part of his plan into place.

So one morning, just after Merlin had returned from emptying his window-cleaning bucket, Master Randall called out, "Ah, boy. I'm glad you are back. Come over here - I need a favour from you this morning."

"Yes, Sir," Merlin replied, coming over to the desk to stand before the Master, "Did you need me to get you a meal or something?" he asked with confusion. Usually Master Randall had already eaten by the time he came to the Hall.

"No, nothing like that," said the musician with a small shake of his head. "I'd like you to sing something for me," he explained. "I've got a new drill of long notes that I may want to use with some of the groups today, and since you are handy and have a decent voice for a peasant, I thought you might give it a try first. That way I can refine it before the real students arrive."

Real student or not, Merlin smiled brightly at the opportunity, "Of course, Sir. I'd be happy to help," he answered.

"Stand straight then, shoulders back, chin up," he instructed, beginning the introduction with his lute as Merlin hurried to comply.

"That's it. Now it goes like this," the musician added, singing out the pattern twice. "Now, deep breath…..now…..you try," he said, hardly needing to bring Merlin in at the right time.

Merlin began to sing, causing Master Randall to secretly admire the boy's control, especially since he'd probably had little training.

Stopping the servant a couple of times to explain where best to breathe during a pattern of such long notes, the Master had Merlin repeat it higher and higher until the servant had just reached the point where his voice wavered.

"Thank you, lad, I think that will do for now," the musician said at that point, causing the boy to stop suddenly and open his eyes, obviously disappointed that he could not continue on for longer. As much as he would also have liked to keep on, the Master reasoned that it would not do to have the boy think he was getting lessons, so reluctantly he put down his lute. Gesturing at the servant to get back to his usual work, the Master picked up a quill and began to write a few notes.

Merlin hesitated for a few moments, hoping that the Master would want try out another drill, but when it became apparent that this was not going to happen, the servant gave a soft sigh and headed over to the small table where he had left the candles. He had suggested bringing in a second table to put at the back of the room near where he had been asked to put his chair. That way it was easier to carry out his duties, including serving the tea when needed, without disturbing the students or Master so much.

The rest of the day continued in the usual manner until the third group of students were in place for their class.

Merlin had been told to scrub the floor during this lesson and so had prepared his bucket before the group arrived. He knelt to begin his work just as the Master started to demonstrate the new long note exercise that Merlin had briefly sung that morning.

Just as the young warlock was about to put the brush to the floor, he had a moment of horror when he realized that he smelled peppermint instead of pine. He had evidently added the wrong cleaning liquid to the water.

Not wanting to disturb the class nor, he admitted to himself, draw attention to his mistake, he wracked his brain for a spell to undo it.

Finally he decided to try a summoning spell. He had tried them before, although never to draw one liquid from another liquid. Turning towards the corner of the room to hide any flash of gold, he gave it a try. Luckily the spell did not even need an incantation, only a focus on the container that he wanted to move the liquid to, so no one in the room was aware of the magic going on in the corner.

Merlin was pleased when the spell worked although it took him three tries to get all of the peppermint back into its bottle.

That done, Merlin had been about to try to magic the pine mixture into his bucket in the same way, when he realized that the master was calling him.

"Marvin," the man called sharply, leaving the young servant in no doubt that this was not the first time he had tried to get Merlin's attention.

"Yes Sir?" Merlin squeaked out as he jumped to his feet, almost kicking his bucket over in his haste. The warlock's heart was hammering with the worry that he had been caught using sorcery.

But the Master seemed to be more amused than horrified, and a few of the girls were giggling, so he soon guessed it was not that.

"Have I got your attention at last?" Master Randall chastised. "I did not realize that floor-scrubbing could be quite so absorbing, although I am sure that even kitchen servants must find something to focus their attention on."

Merlin gritted his teeth at the reprimand, although he stopped himself from retorting. He did not want to be dismissed for speaking out of turn in front of a room full of young nobles, especially since it was true that he hadn't been paying attention.

"Is there something you wanted, Master Randall?" he said politely, once he had calmed enough to speak.

"Yes indeed, and you would have already known what that was if you'd been attending me as you are supposed to," answered the Master. "Well, it is of no matter now," he added, settling back into his chair and beginning to strum his lute.

"I want you to demonstrate to these ladies the long-note exercise that I showed you this morning," the musician explained, nodding towards the ten or so young girls at the front of the class.

"All…right…," Merlin said slowly, not really understanding why Master Randall needed him to do this when surely any number of the other students would have been more than capable. Still, Merlin was glad for any opportunity to sing, so he waited for the Master to play the introduction and then he began.

After just one note, Master Randall said, "No, no, NO, Marvin. I've just told you that I want you to demonstrate for the GIRLS… You need to sing it one octave higher than that."

Merlin stopped in confusion. Surely the Master must know that this would be far too high for him to sing properly. "But," .., he stammered, stopping when he saw the Master's raised eyebrows and look of expectation. "Yes, I understand," he said in resignation, although really, he didn't.

Master Randall held the servant's eye a moment longer to be sure the boy would obey, before playing the introduction again.

Merlin took a deep breath and began to sing, but as he had expected, his voice cracked from the very first note. Luckily the Master spared him from too much embarrassment by stopping him after only two repetitions of the pattern.

"That's enough, boy," he said, gesturing that Merlin should return to his bucket, which the servant hurried to do, happy to get out of sight.

"There, ladies," he heard the master say, "Ignoring the atrocious quality of the sound, if even a kitchen boy is able make his way through this exercise, I expect you to be able to do the same with ease.

"Now, from the beginning if you please..."

The master began his introduction yet again, but Merlin had stopped listening by then. Angry at being intentionally made to look bad, the servant practically attacked the floor with his brush, not caring about the water he was splashing.

* * *

Fortunately, probably for both Merlin and the Master, the servant was not called on to sing any more that day.

By the time the last group had left, Merlin's anger had turned more towards resignation. However much he would have loved to sing more seriously, the barrier between nobles and commoners was just not going to allow it. It was probably for the best anyway he knew, since his destiny would definitely not permit him to do very much with a training that would take him away from Arthur's side.

So, subdued, Merlin gathered the candles, and brought the tea things back to the kitchen. Finally, his daily chores completed, the servant stood by the table where Master Randall sat reading his notes, and said quietly, without looking the Master in the eye, "Is there something more you need me to do, Sir?"

"No, boy," the musician answered, "I have everything I need for today, so you are free to go."

Master Randall had of course noticed that the servant had been unhappy about being humiliated, and although he would have liked to keep the boy in order to have him sing through some exercises, he decided that it would be better to let him go home and work through his feelings instead. The Master had not enjoyed hurting the young servant, but he had needed to see how Marvin would react to being belittled about his skills. The musician also knew that he would need to do it again. If he could somehow manage to take Marvin on as an apprentice, unfortunately the servant could expect to receive that type of taunting often, both from the nobles he trained with and even from those he eventually served as a musician, and Master Randall needed to be sure the boy could handle himself.

So, saying no more, the Master could only watch as Merlin left the room.

* * *

Merlin was still melancholy even after he'd eaten a quick dinner and prepared the drafts that Gaius had put in his charge. He liked to work on a few each evening to make sure he would have plenty ready when he went to the Lower Town to make his deliveries.

As usual, once he'd finished the medicines, he put away his supplies and then headed towards Arthur's chambers to get him settled for the night. Although neither young man was willing to admit it, they had missed their usual daily camaraderie, so when Merlin had offered to attend Arthur in the evenings, the Prince had rapidly agreed.

But tonight, Merlin was not very good company. Although the servant had tried his best to hide it, even Arthur could see that something was not right with his friend.

"What's the matter with you tonight?" asked the Prince, as Merlin started to help him remove his tunic, albeit a little too forcefully. "You've hardly said two words all night. Not that I miss your inane chatter or anything, but it's very strange."

When Merlin just sighed and did not tease back, Arthur started to become worried. He batted his servant's hands away so he could stand up straight and look him in the eye. "Merlin, really, what's wrong? Are things not going well with Master Randall?" he asked.

"If he is treating you poorly I can always tell my father that I need you back," Arthur offered.

Merlin widened his eyes in surprised at Arthur's concern. He hadn't wanted to let Arthur know about his disappointment, especially after all that the Prince had done to set up Merlin's opportunity.

"No, it's not that," said Merlin, "It's just that he only sees me as a servant."

Arthur's mouth quirked up in a slight smile at that. "Um, Merlin," he said, "I hate to break it to you, but you _are_ a servant."

Merlin scrunched his face in annoyance. "I KNOW that. But I hated it when he made me feel less worthy than those students because of it."

Reaching back down to grasp Arthur's tunic again, Merlin began to help the Prince remove it. Without really watching what he was doing, he added, "Some of them can't even sing. They couldn't even get the easiest little exercise right."

Punctuating his words with a hard tug on Arthur's sleeve, which only caused the Prince to get his arm stuck, Merlin continued his complaint. "And, I mean, I _knew_ he only taught nobles so I knew what I was getting myself into, and he _has_ let me sing a few times, and I _have_ heard a lot of lessons and that's all I really wanted anyway."

Arthur tried to make a sympathetic reply, but it went unheard since Merlin had now pulled on the Prince's other sleeve so that not only both arms but also his head was stuck inside the shirt. In any case, his servant was in a full rant by this time, so Arthur decided that the easiest thing to do if he ever wanted to escape his clothing was just to wait Merlin out.

"This other stuff, I can rise above it," the servant carried on. "I can show him that I can _take_ it and it will just make me _better_! Yes, that's _it!_ I _certainly_ can't give up."

Merlin nodded to himself in satisfaction, and with yet another tug on the tunic said, "So tomorrow I will go _right_ _back_ as if nothing happened."

Excited by his resolution, the servant apparently forgot about what he had been doing and said, "Thanks Arthur! You've made it all clear to me," before turning and heading determinedly towards the door.

"Umm glad to have been of help…?" mumbled the Prince from somewhere in his shirt. "Now, … CAN YOU GET THIS OFF OF ME?"

Merlin stopped in his tracks and rushed back to extract the Prince. "Oops, Sorry! I guess I got carried away!"

* * *

A few moments later and Arthur was safely in his nightclothes. With his dignity restored, he was able to get back to his servant's problem and said, "Seriously, Merlin, if you have had enough of Master Randall, you can come back to your usual duties for me. I could use a servant, truth be told."

Merlin looked up, "Oh? I thought you were happy to be rid of me for a while!" he added with a smile.

"Well, yes, I am. But father has me entertaining the sons of some of the visitors, and honestly, some of them are real prats, Merlin!"

Arthur was happy to see the huge grin that his comment had put on his servant's face.

"I can believe that!" Merlin answered. "Hmm, hunting with prats– singing – hunting with prats –singing," he said holding up first one hand then the other in time with his words, "Whatever should I do?"

Becoming serious again, the young servant said, "Arthur, honestly, thanks for the offer, but I want to keep at it. I really _am_ enjoying the chance to sing, and as for the other, well, I have something to prove to those students, and to myself too."

Arthur nodded his understanding, secretly glad, although not really surprised, that Merlin had courage enough to accept the challenge.

"All right then. As long as you are sure," said the Prince, looking Merlin in the eye to be sure his servant knew Arthur meant it.

Merlin smiled back, touched at Arthur's concern. "I am, Sire," he answered, and doing a last round of Arthur's chambers to put out the candles, the secret student headed back to his own room.


	5. Singing Lessons - Merlin

The next morning, Merlin made sure to arrive at the Small Hall even before Master Randall had arrived. The servant was determined to show the musician that a little bit of humiliation would not get the best of him and so he got straight to work cleaning the windows with a diligence that would have amazed Arthur. Merlin hoped that by finishing his chores early, the Master would be more inclined to teach him a new exercise.

He had just finished the last pane of glass when the musician came into the room, humming loudly.

"Good morning, Master Randall," said Merlin overly brightly. "I was just about to make a trip to the store room. Would you like me to pick up some tea for you while I am out?" he asked.

"No thank you, boy," he answered. "Let's leave that until after I've settled on today's lessons."

"Yes, of course," answered Merlin, coming over to the table where the Master was putting down his lute. "Since I'm already done with the windows, I could… help you with that… when I get back," he offered. "I mean, if you need me… someone… to run through an exercise or something. I'd be glad to do it," he added.

Master Randall looked at him silently for a moment, as if trying to decide on whether to take the servant up on his offer. "Perhaps, boy," he said at last. "I have not yet chosen what I will teach today. There are only a few more days until I announce the students who will move on to the individual sessions, so I need to be sure that the next lessons cover any gaps in what I have taught them so far."

"Well, my offer is there if you nၥed it," said Merlin confidently, before heading towards the doorway.

As soon as the young servant had left the room, Master Randall gave an amused laugh. The discouraged and quiet servant from the day before had been replaced by a determined and eager young man who was obviously hoping to show the musician that he could learn just as well and quickly as any noble. It was exactly that attitude that the Master had been hoping to see.

* * *

For the next few days, Merlin continued to come in early and Master Randall always found a reason for the servant to sing through some exercise or other. The musician even began to use the time between the groups to have Merlin run through some patterns.

Merlin loved those times. The Master had him test out all sorts of different exercises – fast, slow, high, low, rhythmic, simple, loud and soft. There were even exercises for breathing and for posture. Some of those went on to be used in the lessons of the day and some did not. Merlin's only complaint – not that he ever raised it to the Master – was that he was never allowed to sing for very long, at least not in front of Master Randall. Of course that didn't stop Merlin from practicing once he got back to his own quarters.

He liked the actual group lessons a lot less because Master Randall kept calling on him to demonstrate what he'd learned. And for some reason the Master always seemed to make sure that Merlin was not able to sing it comfortably or well in front of the students. It was always pitched too high, or too low, or the accompaniment was set too fast or slow or used the wrong rhythm. And then, just like on the first day, after Merlin stopped singing, there were always comments to the group about how his difficulties were due to his being a 'kitchen boy'.

Still, following the resolution he'd made to himself in Arthur's chambers, and even knowing that whatever he learned could only ever just be for his own personal enjoyment, the servant kept his chin up and met the challenges. Not only that, but somewhat to his surprise, the things he had struggled over on the first days started to come easily, and Master Randall had a harder and harder time trying to make him look bad.

Merlin had no idea that this had been the Master's intention all along, and so did not recognize the looks of satisfaction that the musician sent his way when Merlin met his challenges.

* * *

Finally came the day that the young students had been waiting for.

"Marvin," the Master had said that morning as Merlin lit the candles. "I know I do not usually call on you in the evenings, but tonight there is to be a banquet and my wife and I will be revealing who we have chosen to move on to the individual lessons. Have you already been assigned to other duties for the feast, or will you be able to attend me?" he asked the young servant.

Merlin paused in his chore to look over at the musician. "I have no other duties, Master Randall," he answered, "So I'd be happy to serve you tonight."

The night previous, Merlin and Arthur had talked about this possibility, and the Prince had decided that it would be best if Merlin took care of the musician during the feast. Master Randall apparently had no idea that he was borrowing the Prince's own manservant, and Arthur was worried that the man may become uncomfortable about it if he found out.

"He may feel like he's _depriving_ me or some such nonsense," the Prince had teased his servant, "When really he's doing me a big favour! If he found out, he may try to give you back or something, and Merlin, I'm just not ready for that yet!"

Merlin had laughed back. "Is that so?" the servant countered, "Well, if you'd like to keep using George as your training dummy, I'm sure that Gaius can keep me busy after the Master has gone."

Arthur had given him a good-natured swat for daring to mention the pompous young servant. The Prince had been less than pleased when he had found out who had been chosen to attend him during Merlin's reassignment. "That's alright _Mer_ lin. I prefer having you for that job," said the Prince. "I have to be far too careful with George. He's got a lot more to damage if I hit him about the head, after all."

Arthur never did work out exactly how the cheese that Merlin had left him to snack on before bed had somehow melted into such an oozing mass, but his servant had seemed awfully cheerful as he left the chambers that night.

* * *

And so, in keeping with the plan, Merlin found himself standing behind the musician and his wife at the banquet that evening. As he came forward to refill Master Randall's cup, the warlock suppressed a laugh. George was looking down his nose and throwing Merlin look of superiority from where he stood behind the Prince, not knowing that at exactly the same time, Arthur was also rolling his eyes towards the warlock at being so over-competently served.

Throughout the Great Hall there was an atmosphere of excitement hand-in-hand with no small amount of anxiety coming from the many families who waited to hear Master Randall's decision. Merlin was surprised to find that he was almost as excited as the students, and wondered which of the singers he had heard would be staying on. He had his own opinions about it, and was curious to see how many he had guessed correctly.

Finally, the last of the sweets were cleared away and Uther stood, holding up his hands for quiet.

"I hope you have all enjoyed your stay at Camelot for this rare chance to study with our Master Musician," said the King.

Looking around at the many young people who waited nervously in their seats, he continued, "I must congratulate you all on your work. Master Randall has told me that his decision was a difficult one and so I encourage you to keep on with your studies, even if you are not among the select group that will continue on here after tonight.

"And since I know that you are anxiously waiting to hear the results of this first elimination round, I will call on Master Randall and Mistress Mathilda to come forward."

Once the musicians had joined Uther at the head of the table, Master Randall nodded to the King and said, "Thank you, Sire." Then turning back towards the tables of expectant young faces he continued, "As our King has just said, Mathilda and I have had hard decisions to make for tonight.

"As you know, in order to fill our twenty apprenticeship spots, we must go through a series of elimination rounds, much the same as knights do during a tournament. I congratulate you all on the quality of your work during this first round. It has truly been extraordinary, but at this time we would like to call forward only the following students, who in our estimation will be best able to pursue a calling as Court Musicians. These students will be attending intense private singing lessons, beginning tomorrow."

"However," and the Master paused dramatically to look around at the waiting students, "this still does not guarantee any placement. You will receive two lessons, after which we will assess how hard you have worked, and how well you have assimilated what you have been taught. Less than half of those named tonight will be asked to continue on to begin study of an instrument."

Having finished his explanation, Master Randall beckoned his wife forward. "Mathilda," he said, "will you please announce the first group."

As soon as the musicians had been called to the front by the King, Merlin had leaned back against the wall. He held himself still to escape notice, and tried to avoid any type of eye contact with the steward who was overseeing the banquet. The servant did not want to be called on to serve anybody, or worse still, be sent to the kitchen to replenish the wine or mead, because he did not want to miss any of the announcements.

He listened politely as Mistress Mathilda went through the list of students she had selected. The musician's wife had overseen the candidates who hoped to learn the flute or the drums as their second instrument, and although Merlin recognized a few of them, he had never heard them sing. He still shared their happiness as they were called up to join their teacher.

Once the first group was congratulated, Master Randall began his announcements. Merlin began to lean forward, eager to hear, before he caught himself and pressed back against the wall again. He gave a quick glance over towards the Steward to make sure he hadn't been noticed, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the man was busy talking to another servant.

Merlin turned back towards the Master and smiled as the first few students were named. The servant had not been surprised at hearing that these young men and women had been asked to stay. In fact, as more and more of the musician's choices moved to the front to join the Master, Merlin was quite proud of himself for guessing right in most of the cases.

However there were several choices that had the warlock narrowing his eyes in confusion. To Merlin's ears, they had not been near the top in the class, although most had at least shown that they were willing to work hard to improve. He expected that this attitude was why the Master had chosen them over some of the others, though he was still surprised.

Finally all of Master Randall's successful students had been named, and by Merlin's count it meant that more than half of the hopefuls would not be moving on to the individual lessons. Throughout the Hall there was a combination of giddy happiness from those who would be continuing their studies, and tears or anger from the ones who had not proven worthy.

With the decisions made, King Uther soon drew the evening to a close.

"Marvin," said Master Randall, as Merlin helped the musician back into his cloak which he had removed earlier in the evening due to the heat in the crowded Hall.

"Yes, Sir?" asked the servant somewhat anxiously, suddenly wondering if Master Randall had changed his mind about needing a servant for the next round of lessons.

"I will only begin the next set of lessons after lunch tomorrow, so I will not need you quite so early," the Master said, causing Merlin to relax again. "You may have some time to yourself since I have had use of your services tonight," he added, "but please attend me by midmorning."

"Thank you Master Randall," answered Merlin enthusiastically, glad that he would apparently have a rare chance to lie in.

As the musician walked with his wife back to their chambers, he was very pleased. He had indeed found a good set of students to work with. But he was mostly pleased that he could now begin the next phase of the training he had planned for the young kitchen servant. Finally, he could begin to work with the boy on songs rather than just exercises.

* * *

The next morning and in spite of the perfect opportunity to rise late, Merlin had woken up at the same time as usual, if not even earlier. After trying for a while to go back to sleep, he finally gave up, admitting that he was just too eager to find out what would happen in the Small Hall that day. Although he already knew that that Master would be keeping him on as a servant, he wondered if he would as many opportunities to sing as he had before. After all, surely the Master would not need to run through lesson ideas as much now that he had narrowed down the candidates, leaving only the best.

Sighing, Merlin decided it would not help to worry about it, so he got dressed and made himself a quick breakfast of bread and cheese along with a cup of tea. He'd long since given up on making his own porridge. Then, seeing that it was still too early to head to work, he decided that he may as well make a batch of medicine, since he had not had a chance to do it the previous evening.

Finally, he decided it was late enough that he could make his way to the Small Hall.

* * *

When Merlin arrived, he was surprised to find that the Master was already there.

"Good morning, Master Randall! I hope I am not late," he said, coming over quickly to where the Master sat at the table, strumming his lute as he looked over a page of music. "It's just… you said to be here at midmorning, and so I thought…," Merlin trailed off, uncertain what to say. After all, he HAD been doing as he'd been told.

"Relax, boy," the Master answered, "I woke earlier than I expected and so I thought I would come ahead and look through some of my music." The musician did not add that his early rise had been due to his eagerness to work out the best way to continue teaching the young servant without raising suspicions, now that the group classes were finished.

Finally he had decided that it would be least conspicuous just to keep doing what he had done before. No one would wonder why it was so necessary for the boy to be used to help Master Randall refine the lessons for the 'real' students. And, since the individual lessons would be including songs, it was reasonable for the Master to want to run through these with the young servant, too.

That's why, after Merlin helped to put away the chairs, this first day of individual lessons turned out to be very much like every other day he had worked for the Master. He cleaned windows and scrubbed floors, sang a few short exercises, brought the tea, was humiliated in front of one or two students, brought yet more tea, and scrubbed some more.

Over the next few days, things gradually changed though. Master Randall stopped making him sing in front of the other students, and had him go through longer exercises and even bits of some of the songs the other students were learning. Once or twice, Merlin even found himself stopped in the very middle of a chore in order to come over beside the Master to sing a verse of a song.

Merlin didn't realize it, but Master Randall was taking every opportunity he reasonably could to perfect the young servant's singing technique. The Master was always amazed at how naturally the boy did things in the proper manner. He had almost none of the usual bad tendencies that many a young student naturally adopted until specifically trained to do differently. Well, except for one. And since there was a difference between a mere singer and a _performer_ , Master Randall decided it was time to begin the transition by breaking that habit.

"Marvin," the Master shouted one morning while the servant was singing through an exercise that the Master had said he wanted 'to refine for one of the boys coming in' that day. "Your eyes, open your eyes!"

Although it was not precisely a song he was singing, the beauty of the melody and the length of the pattern had allowed Merlin to be drawn into the music. As a result, he had closed his eyes as he usually did when he was so fully concentrated.

"Marvin!" called the Master again, finally getting through to the boy, who stopped mid-phrase and opened his eyes as if waking from a deep sleep. "I know you are not really a singer, but I cannot bear to let you get away with that any longer."

When Merlin blinked in confusion, mouth still open, Master Randall explained, "A performer should never sing with his eyes closed. He needs to _engage_ his audience, and the only way to do so is to look at them, to bring them along with you into the feelings that your words convey. You cannot do that with closed eyes!"

Merlin frowned in thought for a moment. He had honestly never considered this before, likely since he had really only ever sung for his own pleasure and that of his mother. Before long he nodded to himself. It made a lot of sense, really.

Seeing that the servant had understood, Master Randall began to strum the introduction to the exercise and said, "Again then, from the beginning, and this time with your eyes _open_ , if you please."

Merlin complied, although this habit was turning out to be somewhat difficult to break. Merlin got rather used to hearing 'Eyes, Boy!' shouted at him, especially when the Master had him sing parts of some of the beautiful songs that the students were learning.

* * *

Once he'd given the first individual lesson to most of the other students, Master Randall decided that it was also time to put his secret protégé through his paces, and he had a perfect excuse!

"Marvin, come here please," he called out to the servant who was only half-way through his morning window-cleaning ritual.

"Yes, sir. Do you need me to get something for you?" the boy asked, wiping his wet hands on his trousers as he came over towards the table where Master Randall was waiting expectantly, lute in hand.

"No. I need you to sing, boy. I have an important lesson to teach tomorrow; the Lady Morgana will be joining us, and as I have not had the pleasure of hearing her during the group sessions, I need to prepare a special set of exercises to assess her voice."

Merlin almost choked at hearing this. _Morgana_ wanted a singing lesson? He'd had no idea she liked music. He certainly hoped that Master Randall did not intend to humiliate him in front of the King's beautiful green-eyed ward.

Soon Merlin found himself singing through a long and complicated exercise. It had started out low, but quickly got into a much higher range than he was used to, even after the challenges that Master Randall had sent his way during the group classes.

"Again, boy," said the Master, when Merlin had finished a repetition less than perfectly.

"I can't, it's getting too high," answered the servant breathlessly.

"Nonsense," boomed back Master Randall, "Your problem is that you are slouching. Stand up straight."

"No straighter," the musician insisted as Merlin tried to comply, but apparently not well enough.

"Straighter, I said. Stand tall and strong. You must be a tree – rooted to the ground and yet still able to bend and sway."

Merlin thought he heard his back make a crack of protest. "But….," he protested

Master Randall did not let him continue, "Now relax, boy! You can't sing with your shoulders up around your ears. Especially not _those_ ears!"

Merlin lowered his shoulders, slightly offended.

"Ahhhhh, that's better," said Master Randall. Now you almost look like a singer. "Now sing. This time I want to you to use an 'oooo' sound.

Merlin took a deep breath, trying to stand straight with his shoulders relaxed as ordered, but all that decided to come out of his mouth was a nervous croak.

"Were you not listening, boy? I said to sing 'oooo' this time," said Master Randall. "Now again, from the bottom of your lungs, nay from your very toes and do _try_ not to sound like an eighty year old man this time."

Merlin positioned himself as ordered, took a breath so deep that he wondered if he might pop something and closed his eyes in concentration.

He didn't see the Master's nod of satisfaction, but with a last shout of 'Eyes, boy!' the man began his introduction even higher than the last time.

Merlin was ready for it this time though, and he began to sing as ordered, easily going up the notes of the exercise, the top tone ringing out loud and true before descending back down the scale, only to rise even higher as the master repeated the phrase moving up to an even higher key.

Master Randall did not stop, and nodded for him to do another, and yet another even higher, until Merlin's voice finally gave a small crack.

But Master Randall hadn't finished with him even yet. "Now work your way down," he called out without stopping his strumming. "And go back to 'ahhh'."

Merlin sang the pattern out perfectly, and then again down another notch, and another.

The Master did not stop, and Merlin repeated lower still, until finally he'd reached a point where his voice sounded breathy and even made his throat hurt a little bit.

"That's enough boy. I don't want you to hurt yourself, though goodness knows a break from your cheek wouldn't go amiss for an hour or two," the Master said, giving Merlin one of the first genuine smiles he'd ever received from the man.

Merlin grinned back. He'd enjoyed the exercise immensely, never having explored his vocal range quite so thoroughly before.

"Well now that I've spent so much time and energy in getting you warmed up, it would be a shame to waste it, so we may as well try a song," said Master Randall as though just having thought of it. "Do you remember the one you sang on the first day I was here?"

"Yes, of course," answered Merlin readily. "It's my mother's favourite."

"Good," said the Master. "I've been wanting to try out an arrangement for it, and since you are handy and already know it, you will suit my purposes adequately."

Merlin's grin broadened even further as the Master beckoned him closer. The young servant had been hoping for another chance to sing the beautiful duet.

"Okay boy, here's how I want to do it," Master Randall explained. "I will begin the first verse on my own. Then you will do the second half, but an octave higher, so be sure you stand and breathe properly. In other words, try to forget you are a kitchen boy, at least for a few minutes, and pretend you are a real singer."

The Master paused until Merlin nodded his understanding, "Then I will take over in the second verse and I would like you to add that same countermelody you sang _uninvited_ the first day I laid eyes on you," the man continued.

Merlin blushed before nodding again.

"And for the third verse, if you think you've enough wits, I'd like you to try doing a variation on that countermelody, but I want you to sing it higher in your range, and to add more ornamentation."

Merlin frowned in confusion at this last instruction.

"What, boy?" asked the Master, "It looks like you have a question, or is this too much for you to handle?

"No, I can definitely handle it," Merlin said quickly, not wanting the Master to change his mind about letting him sing the song. "It's just… umm...what do you mean by 'ornamentation' … exactly?" the servant said in embarrassment. "I'm afraid I don't know what that means in singing."

The Master smiled to himself. He hadn't really expected the servant to know the word, and was glad the boy had the sense to ask rather than try to guess or muddle his way through it. If one learned properly right from the start, it cut down on the likelihood of adopting bad habits. Also, the very ability to know one's limitations and to want to be taught was always something he looked for in his students.

"It just means to take your same general harmony and add 'grace notes' or 'turns' at appropriate moments," he explained.

When the young servant still looked perplexed, Master Randall said, "This is what I mean. First, listen while I sing it with grace notes."

Merlin listened intently while the musician sang a few words of the song, adding very short extra notes just above a few of the usually sung ones.

The boy smiled, 'Oh yes, I understand. I've done those before, I just didn't realize they had a name," he explained.

"Very well," answered the Master, "Just to be sure, I'll sing you a 'turn' now." Again he sang a few words, but this time he added in several notes, starting just above the usual note before moving to it, then below and then back again.

Merlin nodded his understanding of this too, "Yes, I've done those before too, and I think I have some good ideas about where I can add both of those ornaments in."

"Well, let us not delay then. I would like to get this worked out before my next student comes in," said the Master picking his lute back up.

By the time they had gone through the song a number of times, Master Randall was beyond pleased. He had known the boy had talent, but what the musician had heard that day was exceptional. He also knew that it was time to draw the lesson to a close, since spending any more time singing with a servant may start to be noticed. And also, he really did need to get prepared for his students!

Still, unknown to the young servant, Master Randall watched pensively as the boy returned to his window-cleaning.

* * *

Later that evening the musician said to his wife, "Mathilda, I do believe it may be time for Camelot to realise that Court Music may not be the domain only of the nobility."

"Is he really that good, Randall?" his wife asked, knowing that her husband was talking about the serving boy he had been surreptitiously teaching.

"Yes indeed," the Master said enthusiastically. "You should have heard him today. I am more tempted than ever to take him on as my apprentice. But first there are some other qualities we must see about, and we must also see how a peasant takes to… the viol… I believe, although I shall see if he may prefer the lute."

Mathilda laughed, "Greedy and selfish as usual, my love. I notice you did not think to offer him the drums and leave his voice in my capable hands."

Randall laughed in turn, "You know me too well, Mathilda. No, I am indeed being selfish in this instance. I wish to keep this boy close to see firsthand how he evolves in his music. So far it has been a very pleasant thing to witness."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes, I know. Arthur didn't know about George until season four, and this is season oneish. But since it's already a little bit AU and since I love George to bits, I couldn't really resist! We can always make it canon by pretending that one of those frequent hits to the head gave Arthur Georgenesia or something.


	6. Singing Lessons - Morgana

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was awfully fun to write. Up to this story, I've never really written much Morgana or Gwen, as I didn't really hear their voices in my head – if that makes any sense. But I've always really liked their characters, especially in the early-canon days, and I hope I've done them justice here.

The next morning, Merlin was particularly early arriving at the Small Hall. He had already finished the windows by the time Master Randall arrived at the room, and was humming happily as he scrubbed the floor.

"Good morning, Master Randall," the young servant said as the Master crossed the room and deposited his lute on table.

"You seem very cheerful this morning, Marvin," said the musician turning towards where the servant still knelt on the floor. "Did you do something special last night?"

Merlin shook his head, "No, nothing but the usual," he answered. "But it's a beautiful morning, and I was ready to get it started," he added, bending back to his work.

After giving the floor a couple of more scrubs the servant asked casually, or so he thought, "Um, is Lady Morgana going to be here this morning?"

The musician looked over at the boy, who was pointedly still working on the same patch of floor. With a knowing smile, Master Randall said, "Yes indeed. She will be the first student. Is she a friend of yours then?"

"A friend?" said the servant, stopping his scrubbing and looking up. "Yes…Well, not really,… I mean, yes. Well, as much as any Lady can be the friend of a servant." He bent back to his work, but after giving the floor a few more rubs, he stopped and looked back up again, "I didn't know she would be taking part in the eliminations though. I didn't even know she could sing," he said.

The Master smiled and said, "Well, neither did I, and I still do not, since she did not participate in the groups. But as she is the King's Ward, I have agreed to let her have a lesson, and then we shall see."

Picking up his lute and beginning to tune it, the musician said, "She surely cannot be any worse than the King's son."

"Prince Arthur?" asked Merlin. "He sings?" the boy asked incredulously. "I've never heard him!"

"Then you should thank the Gods!" said Master Randall with a laugh. "Although the King had quite a good voice in his youth, as did the Prince's mother, the talent unfortunately seems to have skipped the son, or at least there was no sign of it when he was a boy."

When Merlin snorted with amusement, the Master added conspiratorially, "Let us just say that it is a good thing that our Prince has ample talents in the knightly skills that he can use to impress visiting courtiers!"

With a last pluck to ensure that his lute was ready to play, Master Randall adjusted his chair and said, "And now, boy, if I may so bold as to interrupt your hard work on this floor, let us run through some things in order to prepare for the Lady Morgana."

* * *

Once they had gone through several exercises, Master Randall had reluctantly had to stop in order to replace a lute string that had broken.

"Marvin, this will take me a few minutes," the Master said. "While I fix this, you may as well light the candles, and then go and fetch a pot of tea. The Lady Morgana will arrive shortly, and I want you to be scrubbing the floor during her lesson."

"Yes, Sir," answered Merlin, wondering again what Morgana would sound like. He couldn't even ever remember her humming along on the occasions when troubadours had been invited to entertain at feasts.

As soon as the candles were lit, Merlin headed to the kitchens for the tea, sneaking quietly back into the room when he noticed that Morgana had arrived while he'd been out. Giving her a quick smile, he headed over to the far corner to resume the work that he'd stopped earlier. Morgana had looked nervous when she smiled back at him, and he wanted to give her as much privacy as he could, even with the Master making a show of gesturing for him to get started.

"Now, Morgana," intoned the man in his deep voice, "Let's just start with some simple scales, shall we? I'd like to get an idea of your range and the timbre of your voice as you warm up."

Merlin picked up his brush, though he didn't start working right away as he was curious to hear the Lady's voice.

Finally the Master played a few chords and nodded at Morgana to start.

What came out of Morgana's mouth certainly surprised Merlin, but not pleasantly. In fact the sound caused him to drop his brush and it clattered noisily to the floor.

"Sorry, sorry, the soap made it slip out of my hands," he said quickly, in response to the glare leveled at him by the Master. Not daring to look at Morgana, he retrieved his brush and began scrubbing furiously at an imaginary spot of dirt.

"Ok, let's hope this oaf does not interrupt us again, my Lady," said the Master and he played the introductory chords once more, nodding at Morgana to resume her exercise.

After only two repetitions, Master Randall stopped playing and said, "Yes, thank you my Lady, I think I have heard enough of this pattern for now."

Morgana smiled happily, quite certain that all of the practicing she had been doing in her room over the last few weeks had done its job, since the Master was obviously able to recognize her skills even in such a short time.

Little did she know that behind her, in the corner of the room, Merlin was at that moment trying his best not to laugh and was wholeheartedly pitying his friend Gwen. He wondered if he could work out some sort of spell to cause a small loss of hearing triggered by, say, a specific voice starting to sing. He vowed to look it up in his magic book that night.

Meanwhile, Master Randall had put down his lute for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to continue the lesson without sacrificing either his hearing or the Lady Morgana's dignity. Finally he said, "Lady Morgana, since I have not had a chance to learn your capabilities during the group sessions, I think it will best if we keep to very short and simple exercises, and perhaps try out a song or two."

At Morgana's eager look he explained, "That way I will have enough heard a wide enough range of your skills to make an assessment." He of course did not mention that he did not think he could tolerate anything longer or more complex.

Picking his lute back up, the Master took a deep breath to prepare himself, much like a knight preparing for battle, and began to play a simple scale pattern. Once Morgana understood it, he nodded at her to begin.

Merlin was very proud at himself for not dropping the brush this time, but he became even more determined to find a hearing-loss spell.

Eventually, the lesson came to an end, but not before Merlin had witnessed several pained grimaces coming from Master Randall as he accompanied the … enthusiastic … Lady. The man had also found a need to stop and tune his lute many more times than usual and had not tried to hurry Merlin's especially slow tea service either.

"Thank you, Lady Morgana," said the Master as he walked her to the door. "Now, work carefully on the things I have taught you, so you will be prepared for your second lesson."

"I will, Master Randall. I will make you proud," she promised before heading down corridor towards the living quarters of the castle.

"Gods help us," said Master Randall emphatically, from where he now leaned on the door he had closed behind the hopeful student. "I'm not sure I can get through a second…," he added as he turned around and gratefully took the cup of tea that Merlin held out to him. The servant had quickly poured it and brought it over while the Master had been seeing Morgana off.

Taking a sip, Master Randall asked slowly, "Well boy, what did you think?

"What? Who? _Me_?" stammered Merlin, almost dropping his tray in his surprise at being asked.

"Yes you! Unless you see some other idiot in here?" answered the Master with a laugh, gesturing at Merlin to precede him as they walked back towards the table.

"But, why are you asking _me_? I'm just a lowborn country boy or so you keep telling me," said the young servant, wondering if this was some kind of trick question.

Master Randall frowned and said, "Even lowborn country boys have ears, Marvin. So I ask you again, what did you think? I know you were surely listening…."

Merlin was silent for a moment, but on realizing that the Master was serious about getting his opinion, he began, "Well…. What did I think?….. Well….um….," before stopping in order to gather his thoughts a bit better.

Not giving the Master a chance to prompt him yet again, Merlin's voice firmed and he answered confidently, looking the musician straight in the eyes. "I think I am not suited to tell you because my opinion would be not be impartial," he began. "The Lady Morgana has been a friend to me almost since I've been in Camelot so naturally I cannot make a balanced judgement," he explained, and lifted his chin as though daring Master Randall to object.

The Master held the young servant's eye for a long moment before bursting out in a loud laugh. Shaking his head in amusement he said, "Spoken like a true diplomat, young man. And now, let us _please_ prepare for the next student."

* * *

Just like every other morning since he'd been attending Master Randall, the time flew by. Merlin was always somewhat surprised by this. After all, the Master didn't really work him very hard, certainly not compared to what Arthur asked of him each day. But Merlin guessed that the singing he was getting a chance to do, and the interesting things he was learning just by watching the advanced students were keeping his mind busy in the same way that his chores usually kept his body too busy to notice the passage of time. But whatever the reason, his lunch break always seemed to come very quickly these days.

The breaks were a bit shorter than they had been during the group classes since Master Randall had so many students to see each day. Merlin didn't really mind though, and he was always quite eager to get back to the classroom; sometimes the Master would ask him to run through an exercise or even a song if he was early enough.

Merlin had also taken to bringing back a snack for the Master, since in spite of insisting that his servant ate a proper meal, the man would get so absorbed in the notes he was making about his students that he would usually forget to do the same for himself.

On this day, Merlin had just reached the kitchen to ask for a plate of bread and cheese to bring back to the Small Hall, when Gwen arrived to pick up lunch for Lady Morgana.

"Hello Merlin," said Gwen brightly. "I hear that Master Randall is keeping you busy. Is it true that you must scrub the floors all through every lesson?"

Merlin laughed. "It sounds like Morgana must have made it safely back to her room after her own lesson then, if she's been giving away all of the Master's secrets."

"Oh yes," said Gwen, picking up her tray. "She was practically dancing around the room, while demonstrating some of the things that Master Randall told her to work on."

She waited for Merlin to take his tray, and the two started to walk back towards the main part of the castle. "Um, Merlin… did the Master really think she was any good? Morgana seems to think she is destined to become his apprentice!"

Merlin stopped and turned to his friend with a laugh. Looking around to be sure they were alone in the corridor he said, "Well, Morgana is not lacking for confidence, but I think she might be reading a _little_ too much into what he's told her. I mean, Gwen, I've heard cats fighting, and I think I'd prefer to listen to that!"

"Yes, I know," answered Gwen with a snicker. "I mean, not that I know anything about music, really but I know what a nice voice sounds like, and….well… But she's been so happy practicing in her room for the last month that I didn't dare to say anything. It's too bad Gaius is away because I admit that I was very tempted to go and ask him for something to stop up my ears!"

Merlin laughed in sympathy, but although both he and Gwen were amused at their friend's lack of talent, they still appreciated her efforts. They hoped that her interest in singing was just a whim rather than a real dream though, and they also hoped she wouldn't be too hurt when she was not among the singers chosen to continue.

Just as the two servants reached the intersection where the hallway branched towards the living quarters to one side, and the castle proper on the other, the Lady herself came around the corner.

"Merlin! I've been looking all over for you," she said, coming up to the pair. "Hello Gwen. Has Merlin been telling you how well I did at my singing lesson? It was so much fun!"

Gwen gulped, "Well, yes, my Lady. In fact we were just talking about it, weren't we Merlin?"

"Oh yes," the young servant answered, "Yes, we were! But you must still be tired after all of the work Master Randall made you do, my Lady, so I'll leave you to Gwen. Anyway, I really should get back to the Small Hall. The Master gets annoyed when I'm not in his sight… um… scrubbing." Merlin ignored the glare Gwen was sending his way and tried to make a quick getaway.

But Morgana had other plans, "Wait a minute!" she said, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving. "I wanted to know what you thought, because I know you've been in the room with most of the candidates, since the Master is keeping you close by."

"Oh, well I don't really get so much chance to listen you know. He does keep me pretty busy most of the time," Merlin answered.

"Oh come on, I'm not asking you to give away any secrets, but you must have heard at least a little bit. I even saw you drop your brush when I hit that first high note," Morgana insisted with a proud smile.

"Oh, right…," Merlin stammered, "You caught me by surprise is all," but Merlin made no move to continue the conversation.

"So…?" Morgana persisted.

"Well, um... Yes... Well there's no denying that your voice is powerful," Merlin finally answered, picking his words carefully.

"Thank you!" she said with a pleased smile

"And um, well it's… unique. Yes! Very, _very_ unique. I don't think many of his students have voices as unique as yours, Morgana. Yes, in fact I'm sure of that!"

Morgana's smile widened in delight, but then she pouted and said, "But you don't have to be so nice, I know I missed a few notes here and there."

Merlin gaped for a moment, especially when he looked over to Gwen who was bravely trying to prevent herself from laughing by gripping her face with her hand. The warlock hoped she wouldn't hurt herself! Finally he shook his head and looked back at Morgana stating as seriously as he could "Well, he hasn't heard you sing before, since you didn't take part in the group classes, so perhaps he was just not prepared with exercises that matched your style and vocal range. That would explain any missed notes, I'm sure."

Merlin sighed silently in relief as Morgana seemed to accept this as a likely cause of her imperfections.

"Well do you think he will pick me to continue on to the next level?" she asked breathlessly.

Merlin flashed a warning glare at Gwen when she coughed, and noticed that she was now biting her hand. 'Good' he thought, 'I hope she draws blood!' Then he shook his head at Morgana and said, "Hmmmm... It's hard to say. I hope you won't be too disappointed if he doesn't, but he does have a lot of good…. I mean a lot of _other_ good students, and after all you are the King's Ward. He will likely think he'd be wasting your time. After all, surely you are meant to be more than a court musician!

Morgana looked at him for a moment and then nodded slowly in agreement.

"Yes, that does make sense. And certainly it would be selfish of me to deny a place to some other person with perhaps less prospects than I have," she concluded.

Then she grabbed Merlin's hands and pulled him forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Well, if you give your _usual_ Master such good and honest council, then I can certainly see why he doesn't often let you out of his sight, and I think he'd better be careful that Master Randall does not snatch you away!"

Merlin reached up to touch his cheek where she'd kissed him and watched Morgana walk down the hall, a silly smile on his face.

Gwen had stayed behind to collect herself and watched her friend with amusement as he stood there with his hand still on his cheek, gazing stupidly after Morgana. Finally she couldn't resist teasing him. "Merlin," she called softly, and when he still made no move she tried again, "Calling Merlin!" and finally, "Merlin, your trousers have caught fire!"

At last he shook himself out of his daze and with an embarrassed grin at Gwen, he dropped his hand, and said "Um... I think I'd better get back to Master Randall. I'll see you later, Gwen."

"Have fun, Merlin, and mind you don't scrub too hard," said Gwen, and with a last chuckle at her friend, they parted ways.

Unknown to Merlin, Master Randall had come out of the Small Hall looking for him not long after Morgana had arrived, and so had seen most of the exchange. The musician had ducked back into the room as the Lady had planted her kiss though, not wanting to embarrass the smitten boy.

The Master had been both amused and pleased at how the servant had handled Morgana's questions. Yes, the boy was indeed diplomatic, and with a smile the Master decided he could also check off 'charm' on the mental list of qualities that he looked for in his young musicians.

* * *

That evening marked the end of the first set of private lessons. Master Randall had now seen each of his students once, and had given them all specific things to work on to prepare for their second lesson.

Merlin could understand why the musician had chosen most of the students he'd seen over the last couple of days. All had beautiful voices, worked hard and learned very quickly, from what the young servant could tell. He wondered how the Master would ever be able to pick from among them, although he thought it would probably be related to how much they improved on the points that the Master had taught them.

But Merlin was still confused by the last few singers that Master Randall had taught that day. They were the very same ones that the servant had been surprised at hearing named during the banquet, and even after listening to their lessons, he still did not see what made them so special compared to some of the students who had not been selected.

"Master Randall, may I ask you something?" he asked, as he gathered up the tea things.

"Yes, boy, what would you like to know," answered the musician, interested to know what was on the servant's mind.

"Well, I could not help noticing that the singers you saw tonight didn't seem quite as….um… refined… as some of the other ones. And so I was wondering why…, I mean, I was wondering how you went about making your choices?" Merlin finally dared to ask.

The Master looked at him open mouthed for a moment, before narrowing his eyes and answering defensively, "Not that it is really any of your business, boy, but these students have some special qualities that I have been looking for. That's why I have advanced them, even though they do not seem to measure up to your apparently very experienced ears."

"I'm sorry, I meant no disrespect," Merlin answered, surprised at how angry the musician had become. "It's just that they seemed different than all of the others."

"Well, let us agree then, that until you have gained your own mastery you will let _me_ judge the worth of my students and I will let _you_ decide on the best way to polish. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir," stammered Merlin, reddening with embarrassment.

He quietly finished up his chores, and for the first time since he had begun working for Master Randall, was glad to escape the Small Hall at the end of the day.

As the Master watched the boy hurry off, he pursed his lips in dismay. Even though the students that the young servant had asked after were only slightly less gifted than the rest, the musician should have guessed that the boy would have a keen enough ear to notice. He shook his head, wishing that he had had an explanation ready, rather than turning to anger in his surprise.

Still, if he managed to take the servant on as an apprentice, the young man would have to realize that there were lines between student and teacher that could not be crossed. It was a matter of respect after all, so in the end, dealing with the Master's anger would be a good learning experience for the boy. Master Randall did not have any real worries that the servant would be driven away for good. He'd already shown he had a remarkably thick skin, and his eagerness to learn would soon draw him back.

As he sat pondering, the Master finally gave a small laugh which was half amusement, half frustration. It was already complicated enough to teach a servant and to try to think of a way to offer him a position, without also having to worry about the boy becoming suspicious about the other students.

He only wished Gaius was back from his medical tour. Master Randall wanted to ask his old friend if he knew anything about the young man, although it was unlikely he had much information about a kitchen servant. Still, maybe the physician at least knew the boy's parentage, and that could give a clue as to whether he would eventually be receptive to the Master's _other_ calling. For now though, Master Randall decided that it would be best to keep the young servant out of the room when his 'special' students were attending lessons.

* * *

Merlin ended up in Arthur's chambers as usual later that evening, and again Arthur could tell that something was bothering his servant.

"Merlin, you are being much more efficient than usual tonight, and I don't know what to make of it," the Prince said, as he watched the young servant wordlessly collect up the laundry that was scattered all over the floor. "Did Master Randall call you a servant again or something?"

That brought a hint of a smile to Merlin's face. "No, not exactly," he answered before he scowled and confessed, "I said something I probably shouldn't have… and he got angry."

"Oh, and did he tell you to keep your nose out of his business?" guessed Arthur, not being as sympathetic as his servant had hoped.

Merlin thought about it for a minute and then reluctantly had to admit, "Um… yeah, he did."

"Well, I wouldn't be too worried about it," said Arthur as his servant put the dirty clothes in the basket by the Prince's door. "You know how some nobles can get; arrogant that they are right about _everything_. I'm sure he'll have forgotten all about it by the morning."

"Yes, most nobles _are_ like that," said Merlin with a laugh, and realizing that there was no point to letting one moment of anger ruin what had so far been a very enjoyable assignment, he allowed his good humour to return.

As he came over to where Arthur was waiting for help in getting into his bedclothes, Merlin couldn't help teasing, "He may forget _that_ , but he apparently hasn't forgotten the way you sang, last he was in Camelot!"

The servant laughed heartily as he was chased from the room by the pillows being violently launched from the Prince's bed.


	7. Elimination

Master Randall was relieved when Merlin arrived at the Small Hall the next morning as cheerful and eager to learn as though the previous day's anger had never occurred. The boy had been a few minutes late, causing the musician a moment of worry that he had lost his favourite student. But the servant soon rushed into the room mumbling an apology that had something to do with a broken teacup leading to a broken mop and then a spilled bucket which left them both laughing as they began their daily routine.

Over the next few days, the Master saw each of his students for their second private lesson. Merlin was amazed at how much some of the students had improved in such a short time, and was equally amazed at how some of the students had not seemed to take Master Randall's teaching to heart at all. From the Master's expression during those lessons and some of his comments afterwards, Merlin knew that the musician had felt exactly the same. And Morgana… was Morgana… again. But they survived it.

The one dark, or perhaps light grey, cloud was that in spite of the Master's increasing approachability, Merlin could not help noticing that the musician would invent some sort of errand that kept the servant out of the Hall whenever one of _those_ students had their lessons. Although it bothered him, since Merlin had seen no real sign of any wrongdoing, and there was no hint of magical danger either, the young warlock decided that there was no point in saying anything about it. Anyway, Merlin was enjoying everything else about his time with the Master far too much to jeopardize it.

* * *

Dubious lessons aside, before many more days had gone by it was already time for the next set of eliminations. Just like the last round, there was to be a banquet that night to make the announcements.

"Marvin, will you attend me tonight as you did at the last banquet?" asked Master Randall on the morning of the big event.

"Yes of course," answered Merlin. "I'm looking forward to seeing who you have chosen! I don't suppose you would give me a hint…?" he added hopefully.

Master Randall laughed, "No hints, boy. I'm afraid that you shall just have to wait like the rest of them."

Merlin gave a large, loud and markedly false sigh before picking up his bucket and heading towards the windows, leaving the Master chuckling while he tuned his lute to get ready for his first student.

* * *

That evening progressed much the same as the previous banquet. Eventually everyone had eaten their fill, except perhaps for some of the more nervous young musicians, and Uther stood to invite Master Randall and his wife forward.

Ignoring some disapproving looks from George, who had decided to keep an eye on him for some reason, Merlin stood against the wall and waited impatiently for Master Randall and his wife to begin naming the elite students who would progress to the final round of music lessons.

"Good evening," said the Master from the front of the room where he and his wife now stood.

All of the excited whispering that been increasing in volume ever since Uther had called up the musicians came to a sudden halt and the room fell silent.

"Ah, that's better!" the Master joked. "For a room full of aspiring musicians, you had certainly managed to create a cacophony."

There was a round of nervous laughter before Master Randall became serious again and said, "As you know, tonight marks the end of the second round of musical studies. Mathilda and I will shortly name the students who have earned their right to add the study of an instrument."

The room remained absolutely silent, and Merlin noticed more than a few young men and women, including the Lady Morgana, who were displaying obvious signs of nerves. Some were clutching the table with white knuckles, or biting their fingernails. One young girl had her face buried on the shoulder of the woman who sat beside her; her mother, no doubt, or at least _someone_ she knew, Merlin hoped.

"This next and last round comprises the main part of our teaching," Master Randall continued. "Those who are selected will partake in private and ensemble lessons in their instrument, and also in voice. A few who particularly excel in their studies may also receive invitations to perform on certain evenings right in this Hall," he said gesturing towards Uther, who nodded back his affirmation.

Looking around at the waiting young people he said, "If you have not expressed a preference, we have chosen an instrument for you. Regardless, all students will have one week of study in their instrument, after which they may request a change. And now, Mathilda, will you please name those who have been selected to study the flute."

Mistress Mathilda named about twenty students, and then continued on to list those selected to play the drums. Merlin recognized some of them as having been taught by Master Randall, although he could not recall how many had requested those particular instruments.

As each youth was named, Merlin could practically feel their waves of elation and relief, along with the ever increasing apprehension by those still waiting around the table.

Once Mathilda had finished naming her selections, Master Randall stepped forward again. "Now I will name those who will join me to learn the lute. Please come forward and stand here to my left," he said pointing toward the opposite side of the floor from where the line of flute and drum students already stood smiling and fidgeting in their excitement.

Soon, the group chosen to learn lute and viola da gamba stood beside Master Randall. Merlin frowned briefly when he noticed that two of the Master's _special_ students were among them, although the others had all been eliminated. The young warlock still found himself wondering what was going on with these students, but since it did not seem to involve any magical threats he had to concede that it really was none of his business. On the other hand, as Gaius had often said, curiosity was another road to learning!

But that would be for another time. Now was a time to celebrate, regardless of what perplexing criteria may have been used to make some of the selections. So when Master Randall said, "Let us offer congratulations to all of these talented young musicians," stepping back and gesturing first towards the young men and women he had just named, and then towards those that his wife had called up a few moments earlier, the young warlock applauded wholeheartedly.

As the Hall erupted into applause, Merlin looked over at Morgana to see how she had reacted to not being named. The Lady was clapping politely as Uther whispered something into her ear and the young servant was glad to see that although she _did_ look disappointed, it was not the devastation of a broken dream that he read in her face. She even managed a slight smile as she caught his eye for a moment. Merlin smiled back with a small shrug of empathy, while Gwen stood behind her mistress and applauded so enthusiastically that Merlin had to grin.

After the applause had died back down Master Randall said to the happy winners, "In appreciation for the hard work you have done in order to reach this point, you may have tomorrow to yourselves. However, I expect you all to be present at the ninth bell on the following day so you may be assigned your instruments."

Now that the announcements were complete, the families of most of the youths who had not been selected slowly made their way out of the Hall. Merlin gave Morgana a small wave as she got ready to leave the hall with the King, Gwen in tow. The young warlock was surprised to realize that Uther seemed to be offering comfort to his disappointed ward. The King had certainly never done so when his son had lost a competition, and Merlin was momentarily jealous on the Prince's behalf.

Arthur himself seemed to think nothing of it though. After dismissing George for the night, the Prince had gone over and given Morgana's arm a gentle squeeze of consolation before heading towards where many of the successful young people milled around congratulating each other and talking excitedly. Master Randall and his wife still stood near where they had made their announcement, and Merlin saw many of the new instrumentalists and their parents go over and speak to the musicians for a few moments, no doubt thanking them and promising to work hard.

Arthur was talking with a couple of the young men who stood close to Master Randall, when the musician caught Merlin's eye and beckoned to the young servant. Merlin poured a glass of wine and hurried over. He had been so busy watching the reactions of the people in the Hall that he'd almost forgotten he was still meant to be working.

"No, no. I do not need any more wine tonight," said Master Randall waving off the glass Merlin tried to hand to him.

"Oh, I thought… did you need something else then?" asked the servant in confusion, wondering why the musician had called him over.

"Yes, Marvin," he said. "I have given the students a day off tomorrow, but I would still like you to attend me in the Hall, as there are some preparations to be done before they start."

"Yes, of course," Merlin answered, before noticing the strange look that Arthur was giving him, unseen by Master Randall.

"At the usual time then?" the servant asked, sneaking a quick glance over at Arthur, who mouthed 'Marvin?' at him.

"No, I don't need you quite so early, so you may also take some time for yourself as long as you arrive before midmorning," answered the Master.

Pointedly ignoring the Prince, Merlin said, "Thank you, I won't be late and it will be _very_ nice to have a chance to lie in. My _usual_ Master rarely gives me any time off."

Master Randall chuckled, not seeing Arthur's raised eyebrows since the Prince stood somewhat behind him. "Well, enjoy yourself then, boy," he added, "And I will see you tomorrow."

Merlin watched as the Master collected his wife and arm in arm the two headed out of the Hall.

Arthur wasted no time before coming up and swatting the preoccupied young servant playfully on the back of the head, causing him to slosh the wine out of the cup he still held.

"Ow! What was that for?" said Merlin innocently.

"You know exactly what for, _Marvin_ ," Arthur smirked, and taking the wineglass he added, "I'd better take care of this before you drop it completely." The Prince took a small sip and said, "So…. _Marvin_!?"

Merlin gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well, he didn't hear my name properly on the first day, and I wasn't about to correct him then, and after that, to be honest I just stopped noticing." The young warlock didn't add that in a way he enjoyed the name. It was a like having a brand new identity as 'Marvin the Musician'; something that let him put aside 'Merlin the servant', 'Merlin the secret sorcerer' and especially, 'Emrys' for just a little while.

"You stopped noticing? Well, I can't say that really surprises me," teased the Prince. "Well then, _Marvin_ ," he added, "I suppose I'd better let you get a start on that rare time-off because you _certainly_ should not expect any more luxuries like that once I've got you back under my thumb."

Merlin grinned "Don't I know it, Sire!" he countered. "But since I notice that you've already dismissed George, you must need somebody to help you get set for the night. And as I seem to be the only servant around I think my time-off may need to wait for a few moments."

"Well, I'm sure I could find _someone_ competent, somewhere," mused Arthur. "But since you _are_ handy and do not seem to be particularly busy just now, I guess I may as well let you do it." And giving his usual servant a friendly shove towards the door, they laughingly left the Hall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is crunching the numbers, I'm being intentionally vague in the story but here is approximately how the 'competition' is working. Each elimination round weeds out about half of the candidates, so that works out to
> 
> **Round 1 (groups):** 150 to 200 students (half with Randall, half with Mathilda); in groups of around 10 to 20, so they could see each student every (long!) day and did so for about a week
> 
> **Round 2 (2 private lessons):** 80ish students (half with Randall half with Mathilda): so they would take 4 or 5 days for each of the 2 sets of private lessons
> 
> So although it may seem that a longer time has gone by, actually by the end of Round 2 (this scene) Merlin has been working for Master Randall for 2 to 3 weeks
> 
> **Round 3 (instruments):** 40ish students – this takes up the remainder of the 2-3 months after which at the last banquet the 20 apprenticeships would be announced.


	8. The Instruments

Although he truly did appreciate having some time off, Merlin didn't try particularly hard to put it toward extra sleep the next morning. He admitted to himself that he was far too eager about finally being able to see the viols and lutes that had been wrapped up in the back of the Small Hall for so long. So without any regrets, he got up at almost his usual time, ate and even remembered to prepare some medications before heading over to begin his duties, even though it was far earlier than midmorning.

As he came through the doorway and into the Hall, he suddenly realized that he had no idea what the Master would want him to do that day. The young servant studied the room for a moment trying to get some inspiration and finally crossed over to Master Randall's work table. He noticed that the Master's quill and several parchments were lying haphazardly across the table. 'Vocal Ensembles' he read at the top of one page, 'Instrumental Groups' he read on another. Each page had a few names listed, but Merlin judged that they were not yet complete, since they were far from listing all of the students.

After straightening up the things on the table, Merlin looked longingly over at the swaddled instruments for a moment but held off on his urge to go over and begin unpacking them. Finally with a sigh, Merlin decided that window cleaning would have to be his first task as usual.

He had finished about half of the windows when Master Randall strode into the room, humming loudly. Although it was still well shy of midmorning, the musician did not seem very surprised to see Merlin already at his work.

"Good morning, boy," he boomed. "Are you ready to get started?"

Merlin looked down at the bucket he held in his hand and said with a bemused smile, "Well…yes, I thought I already _had_ started!"

The Master chuckled and answered, "Ah, yes. So you have. But I meant starting on something more interesting. We have plenty to do before I can receive any students tomorrow."

Merlin smiled and put down his bucket, coming over to the table where Master Randall was just setting down a small box that he'd brought with him. "What would you like me to do first?" the young servant asked, eyeing the box with interest.

Seeing that the Master seemed to be looking on the table for something, Merlin added, "I've straightened that up a bit." Pointing toward to the far edge he added, "I put your class lists over there. Are those 'instrumental groups' going to be a mix of instruments?"

Master Randall looked up sharply, causing Merlin to take a small step back. "I'm sorry, I was just curious," he stammered.

The Master stared at the servant in confusion for a moment before saying, "What? No, I'm not angry at you, boy. I'm just surprised that you can read."

Coming towards the table again, Merlin smiled, "Yes, I learned from my mother. We actually had quite a few books… Well for villagers anyway. It's something I've always liked to do."

"Your mother seems to have taught you all manner of interesting things, boy," said the Master with a chuckle. "Can you also write?"

"Yes of course. Mother drilled that into me too!" answered Merlin. "And Ar…my usual master often dictates things to me. He's got horrid penmanship! I don't know what he did before I came along. Forgot things, I suppose."

Master Randall laughed outright at this. "Well, I'm surprised he has loaned you to me then! But that does make it easy for me to decide on our first chore. You can help me finish writing out the ensemble groups. I've talked it over with Mathilda this morning, and we have settled on who should be with whom."

He beckoned to Merlin to pull up a chair, and handed him a quill along with the page for the 'instrumental groups'. After he had told the young servant what should be written down for the first group, the Master took the 'vocal ensembles' list for himself. The two worked quickly, only stopping when Merlin was ready to be told a new grouping, and in no time the two had completed both pages. Each of the parchments had eight groups of between four and six students.

Merlin had been so concentrated as he had bent to his writing, that he had not noticed how closely he had been watched. Master Randall had been very pleased to see the skill with which the serving boy handled the pen. The young man knew when to cut the quill, and how much ink to use just as naturally as he seemed to know how to do vocal ornamentation. The Master was becoming more and more impressed, not at all having expected his peasant student to have this particular skill.

As Merlin handed over his completed page, Master Randall asked him casually, "So boy, has your skilful mother also shown you how to read and write the musical notation?"

"Heh, no. I'm afraid that's one of the few things she doesn't know much about, Master Randall," Merlin answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh well, that's a pity," said the musician adding, "Maybe I will show you some simple concepts later on today. I'm sure a commoner who can write can easily handle _that_ , and it would be a great help if you were able to write out some of the exercises I plan to teach the beginning viol players."

Merlin stared at the Master open-mouthed for a moment as if not believing what he'd heard. "Yes, I'd like to help you with that," he said at barely above a whisper in his shock. "That is, if you need me to. We could even do it now, since we are already here with the parchment and ink out and ready," he added hopefully.

Master Randall had to hide his smile. He'd been right that the boy would leap at the opportunity. "No, right now we need to get those lutes and viols unpacked."

The Master stood up and stretched for a moment, and then reached over and picked up the mystery box that he'd put down when he had come into the room. Walking over toward the back of the Hall, he began to open the box, while Merlin watched curiously.

The servant's curiosity turned into disappointment when the treasure turned out to be several squares of fabric, which the Master handed to him. "But… these are just cleaning rags," he said in confusion.

"No, not _just_ cleaning rags, boy," insisted the musician. "These are cloths of the finest, softest fabric that can be found in any of the five kingdoms. They are the only ones I will permit to be used on the viols and lutes I have brought with me," he explained.

Merlin stared at the rags in his hand and said hesitantly, "Oh….well, yes I can see now that they are rather soft…"

Master Randall quirked his mouth up at the boy's obvious lack of enthusiasm. "And now we will unpack the instruments and put those cloths to good use!"

That brought a smile back to Merlin's face, as the musician had suspected it would. "Now, I want you to unwrap them carefully, and use these cloths to make sure any dirt or dust they may have picked up in their transport is cleaned off," he said.

Merlin looked around for somewhere to put the cloths temporarily and finally decided on using one of the wrapped instruments as a sort of table. With his hands free, he picked up one of the smaller viols, and handed it to Master Randall after the man had gestured for it.

"This is how you unwrap it," the Master said, freeing the first instrument from its casing. "It's the same for the lutes. Mind, some of the instruments are quite large so take care you don't drop one."

Merlin nodded his understanding, and retrieved one of the cloths when Master Randall pointed to the pile.

"Then you gently polish away any dust and rosin like this," he said, using a circular motion. "Especially here on the fingerboard, and here near the bridge," he added, rubbing near the bottom of the instrument, just under where the fingerboard ended.

Handing the cloth and the viol back to Merlin, the Master said, "There should not be much to clean right now, since they were well taken care of before we set out. It's the rosin more than the dust that causes problems, and that only accumulates when they are played, and so it only tends to accumulate on the viols of course."

Merlin finished polishing the instrument, enjoying the feel of it under his hands, even if it was only for cleaning. "Should I just keep them lined up like they were before?" he called over to Master Randall who had begun walking back to his table.

"Yes, line them up, but along the wall by the door," answered the Master, leaving Merlin to his work. The young servant never noticed how the musician watched him from time to time, pleased to see how carefully, almost lovingly, the boy handled the instruments.

* * *

Once Merlin had completed most of the unpacking, Master Randall was ready to start on the next phase of his secret instruction of the boy. He and his wife had come up with a plan of sorts and he was eager to put it into action. The musician had to smile at his own attitude. It reminded him of his very first days as a teacher, when he had been so enthusiastic at the prospect of molding the minds of a new generation. Somehow that joy seemed to have become dampened over so many years of dealing with often apathetic and lazy students. Even the fierce competition to join the ranks of the musical apprentices did not seem to fully prevent this.

"Marvin, have you finished that yet?" the Master asked, as though he did not already know.

"Yes, I was just about to ask you what you'd like me to start on next," answered the boy, giving a last look of longing at the instruments before making his way back to the table. "Do you want me to do more writing for you?" he asked, noticing that Master Randall was working out the lesson schedule.

"No, I have something else in mind," said the musician, getting up from his seat, lute in hand. "It occurs to me that even though you are a commoner, you might _just_ have a good enough ear that I should be able to teach you to tune up these instruments," he added.

Merlin smiled at the rare compliment, and followed Master Randall back to the instruments he'd just left, excited that he may get a chance to actually _use_ them, although tuning was not exactly 'playing'.

"Of course, I realize you will likely only be able to do it roughly, but the students can take care of any fine tuning at their lessons. Having you start the process will make things faster," the Master said.

Merlin tightened his lips at the comment; he was quite certain that he'd be able to do it just as well as those students.

"First there are some things you need to know about lutes," said Master Randall, handing Merlin a lute. Once they were both seated, the musician explained, "As I'm sure you have already noticed, they have twelve strings that are set out as six pairs."

Merlin peered with interest at the instrument he held. The servant had indeed noticed it before, but he'd never really taken a close look. "Yes, I see," he confirmed, unable to resist giving the strings a light strum with his thumb.

The corners of Master Randall's mouth twitched up as he watched the boy, "We call those pairs 'courses' and the two strings in each course are tuned to the same note."

Merlin gave the top two strings a small pluck, nodding when he had confirmed what the Master had said.

"Each of the courses are tuned to a different note," the Master continued. "Now, listen _carefully_ ," he said, and using his own lute to demonstrate, he proceeded to slowly and loudly pluck one string in each course starting from the highest. "Did you hear the intervals?" he asked.

Merlin nodded and hummed back the six notes to prove that he had heard them correctly.

"Very good," said the Master, nodding his approval. "Now, since my instrument is already tuned, you may use it as your reference to tune the other lutes. They must all be the same so that they may be played together."

Gesturing at Merlin to get ready, Master Randall said, "Now, you may try to tune the one you are holding. Here is the tone for the top note," he added plucking his top string loudly.

After the Master had showed him how to pluck a string so it rang purely and how to adjust it using the tuning pegs, Merlin set to work. It took the young servant a few tries to learn how much force to use when tightening the strings to prevent them from slipping back out of tune, and how far to turn the pegs to reach the note he was targeting, but still, the boy was finished more quickly than the musician had expected.

"Well, done," said the Master when Merlin handed him the lute to verify. "Now, bring over that tenor viol," he said pointing to one of the mid-sized instruments.

Merlin hurried over to collect the viol, excited that in a few moments he would actually be using it.

"The viols are adjusted using exactly the same technique as you have just used with the lute," the Master explained. "In fact they are a little easier to tune since they have only six strings and not twelve, though the different sizes are tuned to different sets of notes."

Once Merlin was seated, Master Randall showed him how to hold the instrument for tuning, and explained that the tenor viol used the same notes as the lute, where the smaller treble and larger bass used another set.

Once he had helped Merlin to tune one of each type of instrument, Master Randall rose to his feet and said, "So boy, if you have no questions, why don't you start with the lutes."

"Yes, I think I'm ready to give it a try on my own," Merlin answered, anxious for the musician to let him get started. He was going to enjoy this chore!

After making sure that the boy really had no further need of him, Master Randall went back to his table to complete the work on his schedules. Every so often, the musician glanced over at the young servant. He was not disappointed nor surprised to find that the boy looked like he'd been working with the instruments for years.

* * *

When Merlin was about halfway through the lutes, Master Randall stood and said, "Marvin, while you are working on that, I shall go to bring these lesson schedules to Mistress Mathilda, although I expect to return long before you have finished."

Merlin wondered for a moment why the Master had not asked him to run the errand while keeping the musical task for himself, but he presumed that the two musicians needed to discuss something about the list. The young servant certainly was not about to complain!

Once the Master had left, Merlin thought for a moment about using his magic to help him with his task, but he finally decided against it. Somehow it seemed wrong to handle the instruments with sorcery when it was just so satisfying to use them without it.

He worked away happily and was about halfway through the viols by the time Master Randall returned. Merlin looked up for a moment when the man entered the room, but quickly went back to his tuning.

The Master watched as the boy finished the viol, stood and carried it back to its place and then brought another over to repeat the process. Just as with the lute, the Master was pleased with how naturally the servant handled the instrument. But he frowned when the boy plucked one of its strings and began to adjust it.

"Boy, I thought I'd told you that these need to be tuned to a reference," he said, almost angry at having found an apparent failing in the boy. He hoped this was not a sign of either forgetfulness or laziness, although the servant had not displayed any such faults before. "We will be playing them in ensembles," the Master insisted.

Merlin looked up in confusion.

"You did not get the note for that viol before you started to tune it," the Master explained. "I hope I shall not have to redo all of these instruments."

Merlin looked affronted, "I'm sorry Master Randall, but it didn't seem necessary. I mean, it's easy enough to remember the pitch without always having to check."

"You _remember_ it?" Master Randall asked, "Even with having to walk all the way over to get a new viol and then and back? Even when you change to a different type of instrument which uses a different tuning?" The musician had a rising hope about what this might mean, although it was possible that the boy had simply been able to hold the note from the newly tuned viol in his head before beginning the next one.

"Yes, of course," said Merlin, still not seeing why it would be so surprising.

Master Randall decided to test his suspicion. He walked over and picked up one of the lutes, twisting all of the pegs in order to leave the instrument horribly out of tune. He strummed it loudly a few times to remove any chance that the boy would remember the note from the viol he was working on, before he held the lute out to the servant and said, "Alright then, go ahead and show me."

Merlin put down his viol and took the lute, eyes still narrowed in confusion. Sitting back down, and without first taking any reference, the boy began to pluck the top string. The Master watched with interest as the boy listened carefully to the ringing string and adjusted it, tongue caught between his teeth in concentration. Once the young servant was satisfied, he moved to the next string. Finally he handed the instrument back to Master Randall, the look of confusion on the boy's face still evident.

The Master took the lute and strummed it. _Perfect_. He then tested it against the instrument he had originally tuned to be the reference. The two were exactly the same. Without making any comment, he went over and put the lute back down in its place, and turning to Merlin he simply said, "Right then, carry on boy."

"So, do I need to use the reference?" the servant asked, still unsure of what all the fuss was about.

"No...no… apparently you do not," answered the Master in strange tone, though Merlin had no idea about what the man was feeling just then.

The servant shrugged and picked his viol back up, while Master Randall crossed over to his table and sat down heavily in his chair. 'Perfect pitch….' he thought to himself in amazement. 'The boy has perfect pitch!'

Shaking his head to clear it from this latest bit of information, the Master thought once again about whether the time was right for Camelot to welcome commoners to the ranks of the Court Musicians. So far the young servant was turning out to have more than the perfect package of skills to be successful at it, though the Master was curious to see what the boy would be able to do with an instrument in his hands.

* * *

By the time Merlin had finished tuning the instruments, and taken his lunch break, Master Randall had recovered from his surprise at finding out that the young servant apparently had perfect pitch. Now he was more impatient than ever to determine which instrument would tempt the boy the most. The tuning he'd had the servant do during the morning had shed little light on it, since the boy had handled all of the instruments equally easily and seemingly with equal pleasure.

"What would you like me to do this afternoon, Master Randall?" asked Merlin as he came into the Hall following his lunch.

"I shall be playing through some exercises on each of the instruments," answered the Master. "So I would like you to scrub the floor quietly while I do so. It has become rather dirty especially over in the area where the lutes and viols used to be."

Merlin tried to hide his sigh of disappointment. He had almost felt like a musician after his chores of the morning, but was not surprised that the Master needed him to go back to his more usual work.

The servant perked up when the musician added, "Once you are finished, I may need your help in writing out those exercises, if it's not too late. So try to keep half an ear open as you clean, if you are able to do both at once."

"That won't be any problem, Master Randall," Merlin answered confidently. "I could scrub in my sleep by now, I think."

The Master smiled as he took up his lute. He had no doubt that the boy would be listening _very_ carefully.

The musician had decided that he would play the instruments in order of their size, starting with the lute and working his way down to the large bass viol. The set of exercises he intended to use were ones he commonly taught to his students. Each focused on a different technique.

As the Master played first the lute, followed by the treble and tenor viols, Merlin looked up frequently, and watched with interest, though the boy never paused in his scrubbing. He had heard lutes often, and had even heard some viols in one of the performances that Arthur had attended recently. But those had just been playing some sort of accompaniment for other smaller instruments in the ensemble. What the Master was doing was different. It was meant to showcase the instrument, and even though these were just exercises, Merlin still found it impressive and ached to learn it for himself.

Finally, Master Randall put away the tenor viol and took out the large bass. This one extended almost to the floor when held between the knees. The musician picked up his bow and glanced over at the servant to see if he was still watching, before drawing the bow across the lowest string to play a slow scale.

Merlin immediately stopped his polishing and simply stared, awestruck by the rich low sound radiating from the instrument. Even after these few notes, his ache to learn to play the instrument had become almost unbearable. It reminded the young warlock of the first time he had ever heard a harmony.

The Master had been watching Merlin from the corner of his eye, and when he noticed the servant's face as the bass viol had sounded, he knew he had found the instrument meant for the boy.

"Why have you stopped scrubbing, boy?" he asked.

"Um, no reason, I just… I…," Merlin stammered, attempting to continue his work and knowing that he didn't dare explain his desire. But as Master Randall started a second scale, the boy faltered again.

'Well then, the bass viol it is', thought the Master with satisfaction.

* * *

"Merlin, stop that humming!" said an amused Prince for the third time that night as his servant attended him.

"Oh, sorry Arthur, I keep forgetting," Merlin said. "It's just that I learned so much today, and I actually got to touch the viols!"

"You _touched_ the viols, you mean he let you _play_ one?" asked the Prince.

"Um, not really, no, not _play_ exactly," answered Merlin. "But he did let me tune them all."

"Well, judging by your humming, I'd say he is a very brave man then. Perhaps I should see if he'd like to become a knight!" teased Arthur as Merlin was unbuttoning the Prince's jacket.

"Ha ha, very funny," said Merlin, giving Arthur a push that made the Prince take a step back. "But Arthur, the bass viol, I never knew how _wonderful_ it sounded," he gushed. "I wonder if there is any hope that I will get a chance to try it."

"Merlin, you almost sound like you are in love" said Arthur, "with a piece of wood!" The Prince smiled at the blush this brought to his servant's cheeks. "But seriously, you heard a bass viol last month when that group from Nemeth played during King Rodor's visit, and you didn't seem very impressed by it then."

"Well, it wasn't the same, was it," insisted the young warlock as he pulled the tunic off over Arthur's head. "Today I heard it played on its own. Anyway, during that feast, you made me stand clear at the other side of the Hall. I was so far away that I barely heard anything!"

Arthur smiled, "I was keeping you out of trouble, Merlin." The Prince was not about to admit that he was still reluctant to let his servant anywhere close to visiting Royalty. Merlin's suffering after being poisoned during King Bayard's visit not so long ago still haunted the Prince.

"Huh, I think you just enjoyed making me walk for ten minutes every time you needed your cup filled!" Merlin said, tugging down the Prince's nightshirt. "And I seem to remember doing that _many_ times!" he added before launching excitedly into the news about what he had done at the end of his day with the musician. "Do you know that Master Randall showed me how to write music today?"

"Really? That's….actually quite impressive Merlin," said Arthur truthfully, although he was not really surprised. The Prince had always found his servant's ability to write quite remarkable, especially since Arthur had some trouble with his own penmanship. The Prince knew that this was mainly due to his lack of patience for the task; as a youth he had much preferred to be out sparring rather than sitting at a desk practicing his writing, and this had not changed as he grew older.

"Well, he taught me some of the basics anyway, there is a lot more to learn about it," admitted the servant, pleased that Arthur had complimented him on it. "But he wants me to help him write out some of the exercises." Merlin smiled at the memory and began humming again as he collected the soiled clothes, and deposited them in the basket.

"Merlin, I think I'd better dismiss you for the night, before you get a chance to hum me to death!" said Arthur with a laugh.

"Sorry, Sire! I'll see you tomorrow then, and I _promise_ to be sullen," laughed the young warlock as he left the Prince's chambers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N Anachronisms**  
>  If you are a music historian, you might be saying 'hey that's not how it was' at a few points in this chapter. So,  
> 1) Yes I know, viols and even lutes as I've described them were not around in canon timeframe
> 
> 2) I'm not sure if the concept of perfect pitch existed in canon time. According to research, the instruments were tuned 'relatively', but I assume some of the top musicians may have had or recognized this ability, and it could have been put to good use tuning stringed instruments. I sure wish I was among the one in 10,000 that had this talent!
> 
> 3) Musical notation as we know it today didn't exist until fairly recently, but I wanted Merlin to have this skill, for no real reason other than writing music is loads of fun.
> 
> 4) These likely won't be the last anachronisms you'll be seeing
> 
> 5) It's _my_ story!
> 
> **More number crunching.**  
>  This time it's the lesson schedule. I'm again being vague in the story, but the schedule would have been something like this
> 
> Say each teacher teaches 10 lessons per day (busy busy, but these competitions are infrequent)
> 
> There are approximately  
> \- 40 students, 10 per instrument  
> \- 8 vocal ensembles and 8 instrumental ensembles
> 
> And In one cycle each teacher does half the lessons, so:  
> \- 20 private voice and 20 private instrument  
> \- 4 vocal and 4 instrumental ensembles  
> \- 4 group sessions with all vocalists  
> \- 4 group sessions with all instrument 1  
> \- 4 group sessions with all instrument 2
> 
> = 60 lessons total, so the cycle would take about 6 or 7 days
> 
> Then repeat: over 2 months = 60 days, works out to roughly 9 or 10 times through the cycle.


	9. The Bass Viol

Merlin arrived at the Small Hall very early on the first day of classes in the new round. As he had during the singing lessons, he wanted to get his chores done quickly, hoping that the Master would be more inclined to let him try the instruments again. Now that he'd had a taste of that bass viol, he was dearly hoping that he would get another opportunity to try it, preferably with a bow.

But, his early rise seemed to have been for nothing. "Ah Marvin, I'm glad you are already here," said Master Randall when he arrived, raising Merlin's hopes a notch only to dash them a moment later. "I need you to go to see the Steward to find out where my music stands have been put. I forgot to request them yesterday, and we will need them for the first lesson. Please have them brought over immediately."

"Of course, Master Randall," said Merlin setting his bucket in the corner; no doubt the Master would want him to finish the windows once he got back."

While Merlin was out of the room, the Master took out the exercises they had written down the day earlier. He was pleased with how easily the young servant had understood the basic concepts behind musical notation, though he was not really surprised. Later today or perhaps the next, he intended to show the boy something a little bit more complex.

As he waited for the servant to return, the Master sorted the music so that he had a set for each student, and he had just finished putting together the last one when Merlin came back into the classroom carrying two wooden music stands.

"Steward had them put just down the hall in one of the store rooms," the boy said. "There aren't many, so I can manage them myself, though it's going to take me a few more trips," he added, setting down the two he'd brought over near the table and then heading back out the door.

Master Randall took them over to where he intended to teach, and put a set of the lute exercises on each stand. This first week he would be holding intensive group learning sessions in each instrument for all the students who had never played before. These were to be twice as long as the usual lessons. It would soon show if any of the students needed to switch instruments, and would also provide the basics they would need before beginning their private instruction.

Merlin had soon brought in all of the music stands. "Boy, finish putting them along this semicircle, and then set up a chair for each," the Master ordered.

"Should I put a lute at each place?" the servant asked, hoping for a chance to hold the instruments for at least a moment.

"No, I prefer to see how the students go about choosing their instruments," answered the musician. He did not tell the boy that the interest or indifference used to make a selection very often translated into the very playing of the instrument. "Once you have got those set up, you had better finish cleaning the windows," he continued, "and then if we have time, I would like to run through some vocal exercises. I need to refresh my accompaniments, and I can warm up at the same time."

"Vocal exercises?" asked Merlin, surprised, "But I thought the singing part was done now, other than for those groups that you listed out yesterday."

"Oh no, not at all," said Master Randall with a laugh, "Besides the private and ensemble lessons, and the vocal ensembles, every student will continue to have private singing lessons right through to the last day."

Merlin's eyes lit up. Although he was not sure he would be offered any opportunities to play an instrument, he was happy to know that he would still be able to sing from time to time. He was also very that glad he had come in early that day because it turned out that they not only had time to go through some exercises, but Master Randall even had them sing through the duet they had worked on during the first weeks.

But finally the first group of lute students arrived. Master Randall had them each take a seat and then explained that they would be studying basic techniques together until he was satisfied that they were ready to work on something more advanced.

Just as he had during the singing lessons, Master Randall had Merlin scrub the floor during the lesson. Merlin thought that by now it just _had_ to be the cleanest floor in the entire castle, but the Master insisted that he liked to have the slight noise and motion as a sort of distraction so that his students would learn to concentrate. Merlin was not going to complain, not if it continued to give him an excuse to stay in the room. So from where he knelt on the floor, the young servant watched as the students selected their instruments, some of them poring over each one, lifting them, turning them, and of course plucking their strings softly before coming to any decisions. One young girl even spent considerable time holding a lute up to the light, although Merlin was not certain what she was looking for.

But a couple of the new students made Merlin angry; here they had this wonderful opportunity to learn to _play an_ _instrument_ and they hardly spared a look, but rather took whatever came most easily to hand, as if this was something they were only doing out of obligation.

Once all of the students had their lutes, Master Randall began by showing them many of the same things he'd had Merlin do the day previous. They learned the parts of the lute, and how to adjust it for tuning, although Merlin rather smugly noticed that his 'rough' tuning did not seem to have needed any adjustment whatsoever!

Next he showed the students how to hold their instruments to be played, and began showing them some basic finger patterns, referring to the simplest of the written exercises that were on their music stands.

And before any time had passed, or so it seemed, the lesson was over.

* * *

After the lute students had put away their instruments and left the hall, Master Randall had Merlin remove their music from the stands and replace it with the exercises for the treble viol.

Once that brief task was completed, the servant went to retrieve his bucket, assuming that the Master would want him to continue his scrubbing once the next group of students arrived, but before he'd picked up his brush, Master Randall said, "Marvin, I think that during the viol lessons, I would prefer you to sit quietly rather than scrub."

Merlin put his bucket back down, and said uncertainly, "Yes, sir. Um... should I stay at the back like I did when you were teaching the singing groups?" He wondered if he had unknowingly disrupted the lute students as he had worked, and hoped that the Master was not displeased with him. Although it seemed unlikely, Merlin did not think he could bear it if he was dismissed just now when the instrumental teaching had barely begun.

"No, bring your chair near to my table," said the Master. "The viols are rather more demanding than the lutes, and I may have need of you to tune an instrument or fetch rosin or strings or hair for the bows and such," he explained, listing the excuses he and his wife had come up with for making the boy sit and listen to the classes. "It will be much better if you are there handy, and who knows, you may even pick up a thing or two that could be useful for when you help me write out more exercises," the Master continued.

Merlin picked up a chair and carried it over near the table as he'd been asked. The servant was thrilled by his new instructions. He was practically being _ordered_ to listen and learn, and along with that there was even a promise of putting it to use! He could hardly believe it.

* * *

Merlin had barely sat down his chair when the treble viol students began to enter the room.

The lesson proceeded almost identically to the one taught to the lute students, with one very important exception. Since viols were generally bowed rather than plucked, naturally the students needed to learn how to hold and then to move a bow.

Holding it turned out not to be as easy as Merlin had expected. The servant had watched as the first students in the class had tried; one boy had dropped his bow twice even before he had managed to touch it to his viol and a girl had only succeeded in drawing out some horrible squawking noises as she drew hers across the string.

Unfortunately, Merlin could not hide a chuckle at their failures, which of course drew the eyes of the whole class, including Master Randall, to him.

"Well now, apparently my servant thinks you are all _very_ amusing," said the Master, his glare at Merlin hiding the fact that the man was grateful he had just been given such a perfect excuse to teach the boy something concrete.

"Um, no, not at all! It's just… well… the sound… and… umm… Sorry…?" stammered Merlin, not knowing exactly what he could say to divert all the angry, staring faces.

"Perhaps you think you can do better, Marvin," said the Master threateningly, "Yes, I think you must come over here and we shall see just how long it takes a peasant to learn to hold a viol bow."

As the students laughed, Merlin rose slowly and came over reluctantly, but only somewhat. Of course he was not happy about being made to look foolish, but on the other hand… _he was going to get to try the viol_!"

Finally the boy who had dropped his bow stood and, with a sneer, handed Merlin his instrument. "Thank you," said the servant softly, taking the vacated chair. Once he'd been handed the bow, Merlin struggled to hold it as he'd seen the others taught, and when he finally had what he thought was a good grip, he put the bow to the top string. But, the bow slipped in his hand and he made a sound no better than the girl had done, giving the class its turn in laughing at his failure.

Wincing, Merlin tried again, but with the same result. He shook his head, and wondered if he could get away with magically sticking the bow to his hand, but discarded the idea as it still seemed wrong.

Holding his breath he tried once again, changing his grip slightly to something that felt a little bit more balanced and natural. This seemed to do the trick and Merlin smiled as, finally, a smooth, even sound came from the instrument, with no magic needed.

"There," said Master Randall to his students, breaking into Merlin's thoughts, "A commoner has learned that bowhold in only three attempts. I certainly expect all of you to at least equal that."

Nodding to Merlin, the Master said, "Thank you, Marvin. You may return to your seat." The musician fully expected his students would be able to draw a note from their instruments within three tries, as had the servant. But he doubted that many would also be able to equal the boy who, untaught, seemed to instinctively know how to hold the bow parallel to the bridge and with the perfect pressure to allow it to emit its sound evenly right from frog to tip.

* * *

Once the treble viol students had left the room, Merlin was asked to set out two sets of music for the tenor viol group. But when Merlin went to sit in his chair the Master said, "Marvin, during this next lesson I would like you to go over to the kitchen and have a lunch prepared for me. I want you to be there and waiting when cook sets out the lunch foods, as I have a distinct urge for cold ham today and I am told that they tend to run out of it very early."

Merlin narrowed his eyes with suspicion. He doubted very much that his being sent out of the room just now was due to any cravings that Master Randall had suddenly developed. The servant knew full well that the only students who had been assigned to the tenor viol happened to be the Master's two remaining 'special' ones.

Again the young warlock wondered what was going on with the pair. He hoped that Cook would put out the food early so he could finish Master Randall's errand before the lesson had ended. Then he would be able to 'innocently' walk in on whatever the Master was up to.

But Master Randall must have anticipated his curiosity, because he added, "And Marvin, I also wish to have a pitcher of cold water brought fresh and straight from the well."

"Yes sir," answered Merlin with a small scowl. He knew that this extra errand would take him well past the end of the class.

Master Randall watched with a slight smile as the young servant left the hall. He knew he had not really fooled the boy, but the Master hoped that finding excuses to keep him away from his tenor viol students for a couple of weeks would let him bring the two up to a point where their elite talent would no longer be questioned. After all, the two _were_ decent musicians, or he would not have been able to keep them on as students without raising the suspicions of more important people than a serving boy.

* * *

By the time he had finished his lunch, Merlin had almost forgotten about the two special students. After all, there were more important things to think about, like….the _bass viol!_ Merlin could hardly wait to get back to the Small Hall, hoping that Master Randall would need him to do something, _anything,_ with the magnificent instrument.

But he was to be disappointed. After having Merlin set the music on the stands, the Master bade him take his seat, where the servant waited expectantly. But the musician did not call on him at all during the class, not even to humiliate him or to demonstrate the bowhold he had learned in the morning lesson.

Merlin had to be content with listening as Master Randall taught his lesson. This turned out to be useful in the end, because there were some differences in even the basic techniques for the bass compared to the treble viol. The servant dearly wished he could try those out though.

The Master knew of the young servant's frustration from the way the boy was fidgeting and shifting on his chair. This, of course, was all according to his plan. He intended to have Marvin learn almost all of the basics through observation before letting him actually practice on an instrument. Master Randall reasoned that the large number of techniques the boy would have learned about by the time he finally got his hands on a viol would prevent him from getting bored. The Master had no doubt that the boy would very quickly catch up to the rest of the students after that.

Finally the bass viols were put away and the young servant sadly collected the music from the stands.

"What would you like me to do now, Master Randall?" he asked, trying to appear enthusiastic.

"I want you to try a new singing exercise before my next student arrives," answered the musician, hoping it would cheer the boy up. "My wife suggested it last night and I would like to use it in the next lesson but have not had a chance to hear it sung by a male voice yet," he added, going over to his table to pick up his lute and then going back to sit in one of the chairs they had set out for the instrumentalists.

"Yes, of course," answered Merlin, the smile returning to his face as he came to stand in front of the musician. If he could not try the viol then singing was a reasonable compensation.

* * *

After that first day, the routine continued in much the same manner for the next two weeks or so, and Merlin's yearning to put into practice everything that he'd heard and seen being taught to the other students continued to grow. He even found himself humming; not the songs he had been hearing during the voice lessons, but rather the simple but beautiful pieces that the viol students were already learning.

But other than a few times when Master Randall had asked him to demonstrate a technique, and _never_ on the bass viol, Merlin had not been allowed to play anything. Even those few times had usually ended with the class laughing at the peasant who dared to touch something meant for finer hands.

Finally though, Master Randall deemed that he had held the boy back for long enough, and that it was time to lay the bait for the next phase of the young servant's secret training.

"I've been noticing that some of the students are neglecting to loosen their bows when they put back their instruments," said the Master after the second lesson one morning.

"Oh, really?" said Merlin looking up from where he was getting ready to put the music for the bass viols on the stands. The servant had not noticed any problems with the bows when he had cleaned them the evening before.

"Yes, so I am making a change of routine starting this morning," continued the Master. "I will no longer have the students put back their instruments, I will have _you_ do so instead, and that way you may also loosen the bows before you put them away."

"I'd be happy to, Master Randall," said Merlin. "Would you also want me to take out the instruments for the next group at the same time?"

"Yes, I think that would make the most sense," the musician answered, "And you can tune them as well. That will allow me to make the best use of the time I have to spend teaching."

Merlin nodded in agreement, "I'll go ahead and set out the viols right now then," he said eagerly, glad for any extra chance to handle the instruments.

* * *

As the bass viol students were filing out of the class after their lesson, Master Randall took his plan a bit further. "Marvin, I shall be having my lunch with Mathilda today," he said. "We will be starting the private lessons and ensembles in a few days, and we need to sort out some details first. So after you take care of the instruments, you are free to take your own lunch."

"Thank you Sir. Will you be teaching at the usual time after lunch then? Or is there something you need me to do before you get back?" Merlin asked.

"No, nothing I need, though I may be a few minutes late is all," the musician answered before leaving the Hall. But rather than going to meet his wife, he stood hidden outside the door, listening to see if the young servant would do what the Master expected he would, faced with a room full of bass viols and some time on his hands.

Merlin had put a couple of the viols away before he finally realized that he had just been given an opportunity he could not pass up. Here he was with the bass viols all laid out before him and ready to play, and the Master was going to be out of the room for at least an hour.

He debated with himself for a moment, feeling that he was somehow being dishonest, but that feeling didn't last. How could it, when all he could think about right now was how much he wanted to pick up a bow and draw it across a string again; to feel that vibration through his entire body, like he had that first time.

The desire was almost overpowering. Merlin _had_ to do this; from the lessons he'd seen, it didn't seem so very difficult. One just had to imagine a note and put down a few fingers, drawing the bow across at the same time. He didn't care what the Master had implied; he was quite certain that, peasant or not, he could do it just as well as the students he'd seen.

The young warlock walked over toward the bass viol he had come to prefer; it was the same one that Master Randall always played. Again Merlin hesitated, but there was the viol practically calling out to him for some attention, and oh how Merlin felt a yearning to play the beautiful instrument, to make it give up its sweet melodies under his ministrations.

He wasn't stupid. Merlin reasoned that he would not hurt the instrument, so how could it hurt just to have a little try? After all, he'd been watching people being taught for over a week now, so he knew how to pick it up and hold it exactly there between his knees, to gently and firmly press his fingers across the strings just so; to caress the silky polished wood of the neck with his thumb as he moved and stretched his hand to change notes; to hold the bow loosely tight in his hand; to use just the right amount of speed and pressure to coax that rich voice out of the body.

And so, without even really knowing how he'd got there, Merlin found himself lost in playing a bass viol. He tried moving the bow, adjusting his hold on it like he had the first day, and then using different lengths and speeds until he was satisfied with the way the instrument resonated back to him, and with the velvet tone it gave up.

Next he experimented with the fingering, humming one of the songs that the students had been learning, and playing along with it. He was so engrossed in his experimentation that he did not even notice that the Master had entered the room and was now watching him in satisfied amusement.

Master Randall kept watching silently for a good ten minutes. As he had fully expected, the servant had been unable to resist the call of the beautiful stringed instrument, and, as he'd also expected, the boy was showing an uncanny natural aptitude for it.

The musician watched for a couple of moments more before deciding it was time for his next action, and so he quietly exited the room, only to enter noisily a few seconds later.

Merlin was startled this time and guiltily jumped to his feet, still holding the viol protectively. Unfortunately, in his surprise the bow slipped out of his fingers and clattered to the floor.

The Master strode into the room and shouted, "What is this? What do you think you are doing sitting there when you are meant to be working, and playing a viol without my _leave_!"

Merlin quickly picked up the bow and stammered, "I'm sorry, I was getting ready to put it away, but after watching you teach it so often, I couldn't resist." And tilting his chin up, the boy added, "And I've heard some of your students, and think they are a lot more likely to saw this in half than I ever would be!"

Master Randall tried not to laugh at the young servant's defiance. Instead he forced himself to narrow his eyes and say menacingly, "You dare to compare yourself to my students; _nobles_ who have been taught to appreciate Court music since they were born?"

Chin still raised, Merlin said nothing and the two continued to glare at each other for a few moments.

Finally the Master nodded as if he'd had a sudden idea. "Very well then, since you do seem to like touching things you should not, and since in any case these are new viols and their sound will improve by being played, I am changing your duties," he said. "From now on you will need to stay and learn an exercise on the bass viol each evening before you leave, _and_ you will need to arrive _earlier_ in the morning, so that you have time to play that exercise on every instrument _before_ you begin the windows."

Merlin gaped open-mouthed and unable to speak. Did the Master truly think this was a punishment? Well, judging by the attitudes of some of the students, it was obvious that they preferred singing and were only studying an instrument because they had no choice. He supposed it _would_ seem a punishment to those ones, but Merlin certainly did not think so.

Once the young servant could speak again he said, "Of course, I'd be happy to." But as words left his mouth he winced, wondering if the Master might change his mind if it sounded like he was looking forward to the new chore. Just in case, Merlin added, "I mean, if I really must," and tried to look suitably chastened.

Master Randall swallowed a chuckle at the boy's attempt to hide his eagerness, and giving him a stern look said, "I am back early because Mathilda was otherwise occupied, and now that I am here I think you had better bring over that viol and sit down. I will teach you the first exercise immediately, since you do not seem to have anything better to do right now."

Merlin hurried to do as the Master had commanded. He never even realized that he'd skipped his lunch until he set out to Arthur's chambers that evening!

* * *

"You won't believe what happened today, Arthur," said Merlin as he stood by the Prince's desk, watching as Arthur scratched a word off the invitation list he was working on.

Arthur blew the dust he'd created off of the page, and picked his quill up again. "What, did Morgana come for another singing lesson and kill off Master Randall?"

"No…; … Arthur, she wasn't that bad!" Merlin scolded once he took in what the Prince had said, and narrowing his eyes the warlock added, "Or maybe she was… but that's not what I was going to say."

"Do tell then, _Mer_ lin," Arthur said distractedly as he began writing.

"He _punished_ me by making me play the bass viol. Can you believe that?" said Merlin with a laugh.

"Maybe he is punishing himself by having to listen to you," said Arthur, and slamming down his quill he said, "That's THREE times I've spelled that wrong. Now I have to correct it _again!_ "

"Why didn't you just ask Sir Geoffrey to write this up for you? Wouldn't that have been easier?" asked Merlin.

"Obviously, but Geoffrey was off in the town somewhere," the Prince complained.

"Well, go and drink the cup of wine I poured for you," Merlin said nodding towards where it sat on the far side of the desk, "I'll finish this up. It's almost _torture_ trying to watch you doing it for yourself."

"Far be it for me to cause harm to my servants. It's all yours!" Arthur said, and raising his hands in surrender before vacating his seat to let Merlin sit down, he went over and picked up his goblet.

"So he finally let you play the viol?" asked the Prince, remembering what Merlin had been talking about before the Prince's spelling crisis. "Are you any good?"

"What, at the viol? I've only played it twice now," said Merlin as he cut the quill before dipping it into the inkwell.

"Viol, singing, you know… music in general. Is it like you thought it would be?"

Merlin stopped writing and glanced up at the Prince, a little bit surprised that Arthur seemed to be genuinely interested. "Am I good…I … don't really know…" he said at last. "I mean, I _think_ I'm good enough, at least at singing, and the Master does keep asking me to test exercises and even to sing with him sometimes." When Arthur didn't say anything, Merlin added, "But he _never_ compliments me and seems so surprised I can hold a tune at all, since I'm a commoner. And, well, _Morgana_ thought she was good, and some of his other students _obviously_ think they are much better than they really are, so I guess it's hard to tell about yourself. I guess it's like he says. You know, I'm decent … for a peasant."

"Ah well, I wouldn't let it get to you Merlin," Arthur said, trying to comfort his servant. "I mean, it's not like he would be able to take you as an apprentice or anything. I don't think the nobles here, especially the families of the competitors, would stand for that. And most of his students have studied for many years or they never would have dared to sing for Master Randall. So no matter how much talent you have, you must be a long way behind them since you've never had even one lesson."

"Yeah I know. And I've already learned much more than I ever thought I would, so I can't really complain. Anyway, who would do your writing for you, not to mention clean your _socks,_ if I got turned into a musician!" said Merlin.

"Well, let us be thankful _that_ will never happen then," teased back Arthur, deciding it was time to drop the subject. For although Merlin had smiled back at him, the Prince could see definite signs of wistfulness in the young man's face, and Arthur certainly did not want something that he had intended to bring pleasure to his … servant, to hurt him instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You will need to excuse me if Merlin's viol seems a lot like a cello. Merlin is playing a bass viol (viola da gamba) since its heyday was closer to canon timeframe, although it wouldn't really have existed even then. Cello is what I really imagine him playing and since it's my own instrument, some of that has found its way into the writing.
> 
> If you know anything about viols, you will know that even though the 'bass' that Merlin loves is about the same size and shape, it's not even a descendant of the modern cello. The two are quite different. Unlike a cello, a viol was fretted and had 6 strings, and the bow and bowing techniques were completely different.


	10. A Performance

By the second day after Merlin's punishment had started, the young servant had given up pretending to dislike his new chores. It was just so far from the truth that he realized there was no way that Master Randall would not be able to see through his deception.

But the Master did not really seem to mind, and Merlin gradually began to forget his worry that the chores may be taken away if the he was appearing to enjoy them. In fact, once the private lessons had started, Merlin was pleased that the musician had begun to do with the bass viol what he'd been doing with the singing – having Merlin test out exercises or even songs that he wanted to use with his students.

Besides getting more and more chances to play the viol, Master Randall also had Merlin do more transcribing of music. It became common during the lessons that rather than having the servant sit on his chair, instead he would be told to write out several copies of an exercise he had been taught that day or the evening before, or even something he had heard for the other viols or the lute. Once, the Master even had Merlin write out his harmony for the duet they had been singing, with the words and everything! The young warlock had been particularly proud to hand that one over to the musician at the end of the day.

And probably because he had Merlin using them so often, maintaining the writing tools in good condition also became an important part of the servant's everyday chores. The Master seemed to need a never-ending supply of quills cut! Merlin was not sure exactly why, but rather than simply cut his quills as needed while he transcribed, the man actually preferred to keep a box of them on hand and ready to use, and so at least twice a day Merlin was asked to sit and trim them all.

* * *

Not long after the private lessons and the ensembles had started, Master Randall began to ask some of the students to prepare songs to be played in front of the King at formal dinners. With all of the noble families who were visiting Camelot, these dinners had become quite frequent and gave good opportunities for the young musicians to perform before an audience.

"Marvin, tonight I have assigned young William to sing in the Great Hall," said Master Randall one morning as Merlin was busy putting away some of the instruments that had been borrowed by the students. If they wished, and Merlin noted that the better students always did, the Master now allowed them to take instruments for their practicing. Some kept theirs in their chambers, but most simply took the instrument to one of the nearby rooms which had been set aside for the purpose, and used it for an hour or so before bringing it back to the Small Hall.

"Well, I'm sure he will do well, he has a nice voice," answered Merlin noncommittally.

Master Randall quirked his mouth. William had an immense talent, and knew it, but the youngster still had a lot to learn about performing. Judging by the Marvin's reaction, he thought so too. The musician was curious to know what the young servant would have to say after he heard William sing that evening. Now, he just had to ensure that the boy would be present to do so.

"Our string quartet will also be playing," added the Master.

"Really?" asked Merlin, looking up in surprise. "Are they ready?" The group was comprised entirely of beginners, although in Merlin's opinion the four young ladies were among the hardest working of all of the competitors, so he was very glad for them.

"They have a few things to tidy up, but I dare say this will give them some incentive!" the musician answered.

"Huh, I might as well put their instruments in the next room right now then," said Merlin, "because I just know they will be here to collect them as soon as they've finished their breakfasts."

Master Randall chuckled, "I think you are right, boy. We shall see. But I am telling you all this, because I am hoping you are free to attend me at the dinner tonight."

Merlin furrowed his brows in confusion. The Master had never needed him in the evenings before this, other than on the nights of the eliminations.

Seeing his surprise, the musician added, "At the last dinner, Lords Alton and Withrop monopolized the serving staff, and so I wanted to have you there to ensure I got my fair share of the wine. Camelot does provide the best, after all."

Merlin snorted, "I wouldn't know. I just pour it! But yes, I can be there if you need me."

* * *

Merlin enjoyed himself more than he thought he would, although he wondered why the Master had really needed him. Master Randall and his wife together only called on him three or four times during the entire meal, and even that was at the beginning before the music had started. Merlin supposed that they must have been too engrossed in watching their students perform. The young servant was glad though, since that gave him a chance to listen properly, without any interruption; he didn't consider Arthur's eye roll, nor George's almost continual look of disdain to count.

Besides William and the string quartet, one of Mistress Mathilda's flute students also performed. The young girl started the music of the evening off by playing a fast, lilting melody that had the nobles clapping by the second verse. Merlin chuckled when he saw dignified Sir Geoffrey tapping away on the table top with his fingers, not at all on the beat. Merlin thought that this song was not so different than the music played in Ealdor, although he was certainly not willing to say so to Arthur. Glancing over at the Prince, Merlin was happy that Arthur also seemed to be enjoying himself, while George standing behind him was his usual stone-faced self. Merlin had a momentary urge to start George dancing, but luckily he managed to control it. George never did know what to make of that sudden grin the Merlin flashed at him.

William was … perfect … but in the same way that a diamond or ice or, perhaps the floor in the Small Hall were perfect; pristine, pure, and cold, thought Merlin. Clearly, William had thought he was wonderful though, and managed to give Merlin such a look of smugness that it rivalled even George's best look of superiority.

And if William was perfect, the quartet was, well... not. But what they lacked in finesse the four smiling young women more than made up for in enthusiasm and in their sheer joy of playing. Merlin was not surprised that they managed to take home the loudest of that night's applause, his own amongst the most zealous.

* * *

It was still quite early after Merlin had been dismissed by Master Randall, and since the servant really did not feel like going back to his empty quarters just yet, he signaled to Arthur that he would be able to attend him later.

The look George gave him clearly showed what he thought of that idea, but the Prince's grin said differently.

* * *

"Merlin, you are certainly enthusiastic tonight," the Arthur said as he watched Merlin bounce around the room picking up the formal garments and boots that the Prince had shed in favour of his nightclothes almost as soon as he had entered the room.

"Well, I had a good time tonight. Master Randall didn't have me running about every ten seconds so I'm not _nearly_ as exhausted as I am after serving you… _milord_ ," he added with a mischievous grin.

"Yes it was quite a nice evening. Was the girl who played the flute one of Master Randall's students? I would not mind watching _her_ play again," said the Prince waggling his eyebrows.

"Arthur! She's working far too hard on her studies to be bothered with you, I'm sure," answered Merlin with a laugh. "And she is one of Mistress Mathilda's students, not the Master's. She does her voice lessons with the Mistress too, so I have not really seen her before. She was good though, wasn't she?"

"Yes she certainly was. And so was that quartet. I think Sir Leon may even be in love," said the Prince.

Merlin laughed at the thought of the usually serious knight being smitten. "But now, here's a question, Arthur. Did you actually _listen_ to the music, or did you knights just spend your time ogling?" asked Merlin as he brought the Prince a cup of sweetened tea.

Arthur took a grateful sip of the warm drink and said, "It may surprise you to know it, but of course I _listened_. I have to say there was just something… fun about watching the ladies, although I was less impressed by the boy…William?"

Merlin grinned, "Maybe he was just not your type," he said, before turning to look at the fireplace, hands on his hips. He wondered if he should light the fire. It had been raining that day, and so was on the cool side for a summer night.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Seriously, Merlin. I could tell that he was a very good singer, perhaps even a better musician than the others, but there was just … something. I found him … boring. Or maybe it was just not my type of music he was singing."

"Maybe," answered Merlin, glancing back over at the Prince with a smile. "Most likely his voice was just too refined for your knightly ears." Turning back to the fire, Merlin knelt and set to lighting it, having noticed that Arthur had been clutching his teacup in both hands, as though trying to warm them.

The Prince smiled back at him, and Merlin chuckled when he realized that Arthur had not disagreed.

With Arthur settled in his nightclothes, and the fire burning, Merlin decided he had better return to his own chambers. He still had a batch of medicines to make before he would be able to head to his bed. So with a last goodbye, he took his leave.

* * *

The next day began with the usual routine. Master Randall said nothing to Merlin of the previous evening, not that Merlin expected him to. After all, what was there to say; the Master and his wife had required wine and the servant had poured it. In fact, Merlin did not even _want_ to say anything lest the Master realize that he had not been very useful; the young servant dearly hoped that he would be asked to serve at another dinner.

That didn't stop him from almost having to bite his tongue when William strolled in for his singing lesson that morning, late, and preening like a peacock.

"Good morning Master Randall," said the young man, as though he was granting his teacher a favour by gracing the man with his presence.

Naturally the Master was not going to stand for it. "William, what do you mean by arriving at least a quarter of an hour after your lesson was supposed to start!" he said angrily. "I almost decided to teach Marvin in your stead, and I may well still do so unless you have a very good excuse."

William glanced over at Merlin with scorn, and the young servant quickly looked down and pretended to be writing. "I would like to watch that then, Sir," William said, "although I would be worried that his braying may so offend my artistic sensibilities that I may never be able to sing again."

Merlin's lips tightened in indignation and was about to retort, but William had not quite finished digging his own hole yet.

"Much like that quartet, Master Randall. I still don't understand why you even let them play. They mustn't have had more than two right notes in a row during their entire performance." Removing his cloak with a flourish, and placing it on one of the chairs, the young man made his way over to the music stand in front of his teacher, seemingly ready to start. "And as for why I was late," he explained to the incredulous Master, "well, my father and his friend were so taken with my singing that we were invited to the man's home after my performance. They asked me to sing again and naturally I could not refuse them, and then we were served some very fine wine from Gaul and so returned to our rooms quite late."

Merlin sat open-mouthed, not believing that William could be so stupid as to speak to the Master Musician of all of Camelot in such a condescending tone. But it seemed that even now, the young man had not noticed the growing rage of his Master. "And since you have insisted that my lessons be in the mornings, even though I expressly asked for afternoons or evenings, is it any wonder that I am late today of all days?" he had the nerve to ask.

Master Randall's face had been getting redder and redder all through William's little explanation. Merlin did not remember ever seeing the man so angry, and he had not yet even had the chance to speak. The musician was about to do so now though, and Merlin was glad he would not be at the receiving end. Not even pretending to work anymore, the servant put down his quill and got ready to watch the show.

"So boy," the Master spat. "Are you questioning my decisions then? And you have been teaching arrogant young students for exactly how long?"

William took a step back at the venom in the man's voice.

"And are you now such an expert on viol and lute that you are able to judge the quality of my students? Your own endeavors even at basic level of drum have fallen short of expectations, if I understand Mistress Mathilda correctly. Unless of course you also doubt her ability make such judgments?"

"No sir, not at all, that's not what I meant…" stammered the young student, but Master Randall held up his hand for silence.

"And as for your own performance, you have had how many with which to draw comparisons? Oh, that's right, it was your first!" continued the Master relentlessly. "In fact, I think an impartial witness to your own success may be in order. Forgive me if I do not _concur_ with your father."

William had gone deathly pale by this point, and Merlin, struggling not to laugh, wondered if he should perhaps run to fetch a chamber pot, or maybe some smelling salts. He took a look over towards his cleaning bucket and thought for a moment that maybe a whiff of the window-cleaning liquid may work. Snorting in his amusement, the young servant almost missed Master Randall's next order.

"Marvin, come over here please," the Master called.

Merlin looked up wide-eyed at the musician, not knowing why he had been brought into the discussion. But when the Master nodded at him, the young servant slowly stood and went to stand beside the man. "You heard William sing last night, and now I wish to hear your thoughts on what you have heard," Master Randall ordered.

Merlin gulped while William looked on in horror. "My thoughts?" Merlin asked, "But why? I'm not a noble…"

"That's precisely why, boy," the Master explained, "You may have noticed things that I have not considered before, and I certainly doubt that William here has either. It would be remiss of us not to take advantage of a new point of view when we have one so readily at our disposal. Would you not agree, William?" he asked the gaping young man.

When William was slow to respond, the Master asked again, "William, I am waiting. Do you agree?"

"Ye-es, of course," came the strangled answer at last.

Merlin thought that perhaps the need for the chamber pot was getting more urgent, but since Master Randall really appeared to want his answer, he ignored William and considered his words for a moment before simply saying, "I don't think I would want to sing with him."

"And why is that?" asked the Master, as William's look of fear became one of confusion.

"There is no question that he is very good," said Merlin, "but I think it would feel too much like a competition. That's fine for jousting but I don't think it's what people want when they are watching a performance. They want harmony and not combat. Watching him sing with his accompanists, it was like he was trying to overpower them."

Master Randall nodded, "Anything else, Marvin?" he asked, as William now looked offended.

"Well, it was easy to tell which songs he liked and which he didn't," Merlin said, pausing for a minute before blurting out, "Also…, when he was singing the ballad he was _frowning_. I mean… it's a love song!" When Master Randall's mouth began to quirk up, the servant added quietly, "Just… I would have expected a smile or something, not…that."

"And?" prompted the musician.

"And…well… then, when he sang that last song … I mean I know it was meant to be a challenge for him, but he didn't seem involved at all. It looked…like he was reciting a list of armory supplies during a council meeting or something. No emotion at all!" Merlin passionately.

Looking over towards the glowering William and then back at a grinning Master, the now embarrassed young servant said, "Sorry sir. It's just that I _liked_ that song so I guess I expected…more or something?"

"Anything else?" asked Master Randall.

"No, that's it," answered Merlin.

"Very well, you may return to your chores," the Master said, dismissing Merlin with a gesture. Merlin didn't need to be told twice and practically ran to the table, pretending to immerse himself back in his transcription without daring to look up at the singing student.

"So William, many interesting points have been raised by our kitchen boy. What have you to say about it?"

"With all due respect to you, Sir, I think his opinion should _stay_ in the kitchen," William dared to answer, though hesitantly.

"I mean, I don't see why you asked him," the student continued more confidently when Master Randall made no comment, "I know he has been in the classroom for most of our lessons, but really how would _he_ understand what it takes to sing in front of the King?"

"You may be right," conceded the Master with a shrug, "But unfortunately for you, you are not, because everything Marvin has said is exactly what I would have told you myself."

Master Randall did not miss the smile that his statement had brought to the young servant's face as the boy worked away. But what the musician had said had been true, and he was quite impressed, though not entirely surprised that the young servant had both picked up on the key points, and had dared to express them to a noble. It was exactly as Master Randall had hoped.

"And bearing these things in mind, let us begin your lesson, shall we William?" Master Randall said sternly.

* * *

"So _Mer_ lin, you seem very thoughtful tonight," said Arthur as he watched his unusually quiet manservant pour a bath, "Although that seems almost a contradiction in terms."

Merlin turned and gave the Prince a quick smile, "Well, something happened today and I'm trying to figure out if I did the right thing," he answered.

"Oh? Well if nobody died, and no instruments have been broken, no limbs have been injured, _and_ if the Master's classroom has finished in a cleaner state than it started, I would say you probably did. At least, I have not heard tell that Master Randall has been ranting about the castle demanding your replacement!" said Arthur.

"No, although he sure _was_ ranting for a long while!" Merlin said, and at Arthur's raised eyebrows, the servant added, "No, not at _me_ , at one of his students. William. You know, the one who sang at the dinner last night?"

"Ah, well what could you possibly have had to do with that, Merlin?" asked Arthur, curious now.

"Nothing really," said Merlin, going back to his pouring and his thinking, while leaving a confused and curious Prince in his wake.

Shaking his head, when Merlin did not seem about to elaborate, Arthur said, "So… what right or wrong thing, exactly, do you think you did or did not do?"

"Oh, right. Well, I gave my opinion about William's performance, and he was not very pleased. Maybe I should have just not said anything, after all he _is_ a noble and I'm just a servant," said Merlin furrowing his brows.

Arthur stared at him for a few moments before saying, "And _when_ has that ever stopped you before? You tell me things I don't want to hear on a daily, if not an hourly, basis! In fact, Merlin, it's one of the things I li…. I find _the most annoying_ about you!"

Merlin turned and smiled at the Prince again, "Yes, but that's a bit different. I am _your_ manservant, so I consider it my sacred duty to remind you when you are being a prat."

Arthur snorted, "And you apparently forget the first time we met! You were not my manservant _then,_ and it _most_ certainly did not stop you from telling me what you thought of _me_. " Seeing Merlin's ears begin to redden the Prince became serious. "Merlin, did you speak uninvited?"

"No, Master Randall actually called me over and specifically asked me to tell them what I thought," answered the young servant.

Nodding, Arthur said, "So, invited. Well that's actually different for you! But good! And did you say anything that was untrue, or did you say it disrespectfully?"

"No, of course not. When am I ever disrespectful to a noble?" Merlin asked, offended, and then at Arthur's raised eyebrows, he added a sheepish, "Unless they _really_ deserve it."

Arthur smiled brightly, "Merlin, you did the right thing. Sometimes certain nobles need a little dose of the truth, and when it comes from somewhere they didn't expect, it drives home the message all that much harder. I suspect William will heed what you've said because, take my word for it, he _surely_ will want to prove you wrong in your criticism. And I suspect that Master Randall asked you for that very same reason."

Merlin smiled back, "Thanks Arthur. That makes sense. You should have seen the look on William's face though. He thought he'd been sooo perfect! Yes, there is no way will he make those same mistakes again, especially not if I'm anywhere looking on!"

Arthur laughed at the image, and then, with Merlin's uncertainties satisfactorily resolved, the Prince slipped into his bath for a relaxing soak while Merlin carried on with his usual evening duties.


	11. The Truant

As Merlin had hoped, attending Master Randall at the formal dinners became a regular part of his duties. To his surprise, so did providing his opinions to the Master after the performances. Sometimes the Master would ask early in the morning, before the first students of the day had arrived, and Merlin did not mind speaking up in those cases. But sometimes, Master Randall would want Merlin to give his thoughts directly to the students who had performed, and once he was even asked, 'ordered' really, to come in front of the whole class of vocalists, in order to explain 'what peasants liked in a musical performance'.

In spite of Arthur's words of reason after that first time, Merlin could not really say he was comfortable doing this. For although it was true he was more than willing to speak his mind to Arthur, or even to some of the knights, the young warlock was a lot less confident talking to the music students. After all, he reasoned, when he told off the Prince it was usually for some variation about treating people with respect, and Merlin considered himself to be at least as qualified as anyone else on this subject. But music … he was learning a lot, that was certain, but he still did not think he had any right to be giving any sort of criticism to these elite students of the art, not when he'd really only heard Court Music since he'd been in Camelot, and had never formally studied it.

Master Randall was very aware of how uncertain the boy was about offering his musical opinion. That, of course, was the whole reason the man kept insisting. If the young servant was to become a musician - a _Master_ \- then he would have to overcome his reluctance to provide the truth to any student who needed it, regardless of their background. The serving boy did not know it, but the musician was very pleased with how the young man handled himself. The boy continued to make excellent observations, and was always able to clearly explain his thoughts in a way that made it easy for the students to know how to improve. All the boy needed now was a little bit more confidence, and he was gaining that daily.

* * *

As the weeks progressed, Merlin continued to love the duties, if they could even be called such, he had with Master Randall. All too soon the end of the teaching part of the competition drew to a close. By this point each student had been assigned two or three songs to perfect for singing and another two or three on their instruments. The next few weeks were to be given over to honing those, along with their ensemble numbers. The Master would pick only the very best to use in the gala performance that would precede the naming of the apprentices. So the normal lesson schedule had been cancelled and instead, the Master or even the students themselves would request a time to review specific works.

Merlin knew he had no right to be, but he could not help himself for being worried that his opportunities to play and sing may be coming to an end now that there were no more formally scheduled classes. Luckily, his worry turned out to be unfounded.

"Marvin, I shall need you to concentrate on these songs for the bass viol from now on," Master Randall said one morning, walking over with a stack of music to where Merlin was scrubbing the floor. The young servant wondered if this particular chore was really still needed but had decided to keep himself very busy in hopes that the master would not decide he no longer needed a servant full time.

Merlin practically threw his brush down in his hurry to see what the Master had in mind, and was not able to stop a broad grin when he saw that the pile held four of his favourite pieces.

"Yes of course," he said, taking the stack from the Master. "But why..," he continued before cutting himself off. He almost wanted to kick himself because he definitely did not want the Master asking himself that very question.

Master Randall was amused at the boy's reaction, and knew that the servant was wondering why the Master still had need of him.

"I hope you did not think I would be lessening your workload just because the lessons are finished, boy," the musician said firmly.

"No, of course not," answered the young servant quickly, and the Master could easily detect the relief in the boy's voice.

"At the gala, our musicians will be playing with an orchestra who is arriving within the next couple of days. These particular songs are rather tricky to play with the soloists because of some of the timing and the entry points," explained Master Randall.

Merlin did not see what that had to do with him, but he was not about to ask.

The Master had noticed his confusion though. "I will need you to come with me when the students are rehearsing these songs, so you may hear these points for yourself," the musician continued. "Later on, if the orchestra has need to work on these sections, I would like to send you to play with them because the students will be too busy refining their own work. Do you think you would be able to manage that?"

Master Randall actually had no intention of letting the orchestra hear his secret student, as he did not want the true extent of the boy's talent to become known just yet. But he definitely did want the young servant to know _exactly_ how to play the songs with the orchestra. He had yet to decide when, or even if he would let Marvin in on the true reason for it though.

"Yes, I can do that, Master Randall," answered Merlin excitedly.

"Good," said the Master with a nod. "Now that that is settled, and once you have mopped up that water you have just splashed all over the floor, I would like you to come with me to Mathilda's classrooms. We need to move some of the drums to make way for our orchestra, since the rehearsals will be in those rooms."

* * *

Merlin just knew it could not last. For more than two months he had been busy helping the Master Musician, playing the bass viol and singing, learning to transcribe music and even attending performances, albeit as a servant. Some days he felt almost like he was one of the Master's students, and he could not ever remember being happier with his lot in life.

Merlin still did not know whether he was particularly talented. He _thought_ he sounded reasonably good, but then again Master Randall had never really praised his efforts. The 'real' students had never had reason to do anything but mock him, for the Master still occasionally seemed to have a need to humiliate him by making him play or sing something impossible to do well.

Still, those cases were rare, and the Master _did_ keep asking him to play some of the more complicated pieces for bass viol, and to sing, often, the duet the he'd done that very first day, so Merlin reasoned that he must not be too horrible, and was maybe even...possibly…quite good.

But this day was starting out _horribly_ , thought Merlin as he practically ran through the castle, soaking wet and carrying a tea tray.

Actually it had started the evening before. That had been his night for delivering medicines to the Lower Town, and once again that same _stupid_ guard had been on duty and had not let him back into the upper town. Surely the man would have at least remembered him, or asked, or… Merlin didn't know what. All he knew was that he'd had to sit outside the gate in the rain, waiting to see if somebody, _anybody_ would come by and could vouch for him to the guard. Of course, that never happened; everyone he knew was apparently smart enough to stay home out of the rain.

He'd arrived home, shivering and soaked, well after the midnight bell had marked the end of the _idiot's_ shift, only to find that he'd forgotten to restock the wood for the fire, and even _his_ magic needed _something_ to work with if he wanted to create warmth.

So, tired and miserable, he decided it was too much effort to go looking for wood that late, thought about and fortunately rejected the idea of burning a chair, and finally just crawled into his bed, pulled up his blankets and fell into a restless sleep.

He opened his eyes the next morning, not feeling refreshed in the least, only to realize that since the sun was shining directly into his eyes, it must be almost midmorning. He'd overslept at least two hours! Jumping out of bed he quickly pulled on some dry clothes, and bounded down the stairs to see if he could find something to eat, only to find that the loaf of bread had gone moldy – a fact he only noticed after eating half of a piece.

Slightly nauseous and now with the beginnings of a headache, he threw down the bread and paused to think over what he should do next. He was not sure if Master Randall had any students coming that morning, but regardless, it was almost the time where he usually sent Merlin to get the tea. So the young servant decided that his best plan would to go first to the kitchen, he could use the tea as a peace offering, and pick up his bucket on the way to the Small Hall; that way, once he arrived, he'd be ready for just about anything.

The plan did not count on his running into William. The young singer had still not forgiven Merlin for humiliating him in front of Master Randall, and so had purposely run into the boy with his shoulder while passing him in the hall not too far from the kitchen. The result was a smiling singer, and a soaked servant sitting on the floor amongst shards of a broken teapot. Merlin shook his head. At least he had not been burned. As usual, he had only heated the water long enough for the cook not to become suspicious; he normally heated it the rest of the way magically just before he reached his destination. But still, he had to clean up his mess and then make another pot before he could finally be on his way.

* * *

Master Randall was, at that same moment, in the classroom ranting at one of his two 'special' students.

"Do you not understand the risk I am already taking on your account?" he practically shouted at the young man seated in the chair before him with a tenor viol held haphazardly on his lap.

"Look at you, look at how you are holding that instrument," the Master continued.

The boy frowned slightly and shifted the viol so it was little better, but obviously still not to the Master's liking, since the man threw his arms in the air and began pacing.

"I _need_ to have you at least _look_ the part of a real musician, boy. Otherwise I will _not_ be able to help you. It must seem _without question_ that you belong among the elite of my students, or I will _not even begin_ to be able to consider you for an apprenticeship. And yet you are _not_ upholding your part of the agreement."

Naturally, that was exactly when Merlin decided to bang the door open and run, breathless into the room.

As he neared them, both of the other occupants of the room spun to face him, the student in surprise and the Master in an ever increasing rage. Mostly this was at himself; how could he have forgotten that the arrival of the young servant was imminent, since the boy had never been other than early on any day since the Master had arrived? He wondered how much the boy had heard, but by his look of open-mouthed shock, which was rapidly turning into narrow-eyed suspicion, it had been too much.

So the Master did the only thing he could think of, not that the thought was a very worthy or good one, and he turned his rage toward the young servant, hoping it may cause the boy to forget what he had heard.

"And you, what do you mean by barging in here LATE, with all the subtlety of a warhorse, and IN THE MIDDLE OF AN IMPORTANT LESSON, AT THIS TIME WHEN MY STUDENTS MOST NEED MY CONSULATION?" he shouted.

"I'm sorry, Sir, … I," stammered the boy, but he could get no further because Master Randall cut him off.

"I DON'T EVEN WANT TO HEAR IT!" he roared. "I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT TRYING TO USE A SERVANT INSTEAD OF USING MY COMMON SENSE AND BRINGING A REAL APPRENTICE WOULD END UP BADLY." This of course was totally unjustified, and the Master, cringing inwardly, knew it but he kept on anyway.

Merlin had paled considerably. He certainly had not needed _this_ on his already bad day! He had never seen the Master so angry, and for his being late one time? It was _so completely_ unfair. The young warlock frowned, his own anger stirring; from what he had heard, Master Randall had some explaining to do. It certainly sounded like Merlin had been right all along, and there was indeed something underhanded going on related to these students.

Merlin lifted his chin in defiance, but Master Randall did not really notice, still caught up in his surprised rage. "WHAT WAS I THINKING, TRYING TO USE A COMMONER TO HELP OUT WITH MUSICAL MATTERS? I SHOULD NOT EVEN BE LETTING YOU _SPEAK_ IN MY PRESENCE, NOR THAT OF MY STUDENTS, LET ALONE SING OR PUT YOUR HANDS ON FINE INSTRUMENTS."

Maybe because the day had already started out so badly, or maybe because of his fatigue or maybe because of his now pounding headache, this comment so directly hitting on all of Merlin's musical insecurities was just too much for the young servant. Merlin's defiance crumbled and was replaced by hurt which was then very quickly replaced by a seething anger of his own.

So before Master Randall could say another word, Merlin slammed the tray onto the nearest chair, and banged down the bucket that he had been carrying in his other hand, not caring that the water sloshed onto the floor. "WELL SINCE I SEEM TO OFFEND YOU SO MUCH, I WILL _REMOVE_ MYSELF FROM YOUR PRESENCE THEN," he shouted, before spinning and storming towards the door.

As Merlin left the room he allowed his eyes to flash. The young warlock smiled grimly with satisfaction at the 'Blast it!' that resonated from the Master as the bucket tipped over and spilled its contents all over his boots.

The Master's anger dissolved into chagrin even as he watched the boy leave. He had said _exactly_ the wrong thing, although he wasn't really sure what else he could have done. Well, actually, he admitted to himself, he should long since have come up with some sort of explanation that would have appeased the servant, rather than trying to rely on keeping him away during these lessons. Not that it would have helped today though, given what the boy had probably heard. But with a small amount of relief the Master reasoned that Marvin would not have guessed the _real_ reason he was teaching these particular students; the boy probably thought he was being paid under the table or some such nonsense.

Although he wanted to go after the young servant, Master Randall still had a student in the room. Righting the overturned bucket, the musician stepped around it and said coldly to the wide-eyed boy, "I shall find someone to mop this up later. As to you, hold your viol _properly_ and you had better _hope_ that the next notes coming from it will astound and amaze me. Now begin, please."

* * *

Once Merlin left the Small Hall, he stormed away with a purposeful stride, although he only realized what that purpose was when he found himself almost at Arthur's door.

Pausing for a moment, he wondered why he had ended up here. Surely Arthur was out at his training by now! But since he was still too angry to go back to his chambers and brew medicine, he decided that he may as well see if Arthur was in and could use his services.

That decision made, he made his way right to the door and paused again. The Prince would not be expecting him, if he was even there, so he decided that this once he had better knock. To his surprise, Arthur shouted, "Come," and so Merlin pushed open the door and walked in.

Looking around, Merlin noticed George busy at work, polishing the Prince's armour, and let out a sigh. Of course Arthur would not need _him_ to do anything, he had _George_ to spoil him. He thought maybe it would be best to just excuse himself and go back to his chambers, but before he could, Arthur had come over to where he stood just inside the door.

"Merlin, what's wrong?" asked the Prince. "You look almost ready to go to war. Should I lend you a sword?"

Merlin narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, not yet ready to appreciate the teasing.

"Oh dear," said Arthur with a smile, "Are you angry at me, then? Perhaps I should go and put my armour back on!"

Merlin's mouth began to quirk up in spite of himself, and finally he allowed it to bloom into a small smile. Uncrossing his arms he said, "No, that would interrupt George and I don't want to be responsible in any way for the consequences." But soon the young warlock's smile faltered and he said, "Listen, I was stupid to come here, I'll just go home I think."

"No, you are here now, you might as well come in for a minute," said Arthur, curious to know what had got his servant so angry. "George, would you go and bring me back some tea?"

"Yes Sire," said George, and carefully putting down Arthur's helmet just so, the perfect servant first made sure that Merlin was watching before he gave a perfect bow to the Prince, and following it up with a perfectly haughty look at the boy, he made his way out of the room.

"Okay, Merlin. What's this about?" asked the Prince. I haven't seen you this angry since you watched Ewan and me practice hand-to-hand combat in the mud last spring."

"Right after I had _just_ polished your armour and finished the laundry and right _before_ you were supposed to be presented to that Lord whatever-his-name-was," spat Merlin, angry all over again at the memory.

Arthur laughed, "Alright, point taken." Becoming serious once more the Prince asked with quiet concern, "But really, what's the matter. Did Master Randall do something improper?"

"No, nothing like that," Merlin was quick to answer. "It's just… You will think I'm being stupid… It's this whole noble-servant thing. He's been letting me…no, more like _insisting_ even, that I sing and play the viol all this time."

"Yes, I know, Merlin," said Arthur, brows furrowing in confusion, "But I thought you liked that. I mean that was the whole point of you working for him, wasn't it?"

"Yes, yes, of course it was Arthur," answered Merlin. "I guess that's the problem, I like it so much, and I thought… I mean, I really assumed that he must think I was quite good at it. You know, at least for a commoner who had never had any training in music…"

"And?" the Prince prompted.

"And just now I was a few minutes late…Well okay, more like a few hours late…" At Arthur's raised eyebrows Merlin hurried to say, "Don't even ask. You won't believe the morning I've had… But the point is, he kept shouting at me about how worthless I was, and not worthy of singing, and… things."

When Merlin paused, Arthur again prompted, "And?"

"Well, I'd heard enough, and so I … left," admitted Merlin. "And ended up here," he added with a shrug.

Rather than getting angry at him for shirking his duties, as Merlin had half-expected, Arthur gave his servant a reassuring smile and asked, "So did you actually quit, then?"

"No, not really," answered the servant, shaking his head, "Although I never said I would be back either."

"Hmm. And do you _want_ to go back, or have you had enough of studying music?" asked Arthur.

Merlin stared at him for a moment. He had not really paused to think about that yet. "I…think I _should_ go back if for no other reason than to show that I won't let him get the best of me. And... anyway, I think I'd also _like_ to in case he still lets me play. I'm not going to get many more chances once he leaves after all," said the young servant. "But I don't want to go back _yet_ ," he added vehemently.

Arthur grinned over at him, "Right then, here's the plan," he said. "You will come out on a hunt with me for the afternoon. If anyone asks, we will just say that I wanted George to stay and finish cleaning my chambers, and I saw you in the hallway and ordered you to attend me. My needs outrank Master Randall's. That way you _and_ the good Master can both have the rest of the day to cool down, and tomorrow you can decide for certain if you really want to go back to him."

Merlin nodded, it seemed like it _might_ work, but then he had a sudden thought, "But Arthur, won't the King get angry?"

Arthur looked at Merlin, somewhat incredulously, "Merlin, you _are_ a servant and I honestly don't think my father would have taken much more notice of you after he had initially assigned you to the Master."

Another reminder that his status as a servant made him unworthy of notice _certainly_ didn't help Merlin's mood. So raising his chin the young man said, "Alright then, I'll go with you! Master Randall can just sharpen his own quills for one afternoon. After all, why would I know anything about quills or writing? _I'm_ just a stupid peasant!"

* * *

Several times that morning, Master Randall had peered out of his doorway hoping to see that his young servant was somewhere about, ideally heading back to the Small Hall and ready to forgive the Master for his harsh tongue.

As the time for lunch drew near, and still not having seen any sign of the boy, Master Randall decided that he would take his lunch in the Great hall. Perhaps Marvin would be among the servants attending the nobles during the meal.

"Master Randall, you must join me," called Uther when the King saw the musician enter the Hall. "I think this is a first. I don't recall seeing you here for luncheon before," said the King.

"No, Sire, I regret that, but during these competitions my time is so divided between lessons that my servant usually just brings me a bite to eat while I catch up on my notes," the Master explained.

"Ah, yes, _that_ servant. I hope he has been working out for you. I admit I had grave doubts about his suitability, when you requested him," said the King.

"Oh yes, Sire. Up to today he has been exemplary, and I thank you for lending him to me," answered the Master, quickly jumping to the boy's defense. Musical prodigy aside, the young man had also been very diligent as a servant.

"What do you mean, 'up to today'?" asked the King, having caught the unintentional nuance in the Master's statement. "Has he done something wrong _today_ , then?"

"Oh, not as such, Uther," answered the musician reassuringly. "At least it was not really his fault. I accidentally took my anger out on him, and he took offence and left. For a time." The musician did not really want to get the boy in trouble and hoped that the King would accept the explanation.

"He _left?"_ asked Uther, "Did you not _give_ him leave, then?"

"Well, not as such, Sire. But as I said, it was not really his fault. In fact I was hoping he might be here so that I could set things right…" said the Master before cutting off at the look of outrage Uther was now wearing. Apparently the musician's words had not helped the situation.

"You mean to tell me that he has not returned to you yet?" asked the King angrily.

"N-No, not yet, Sire," the Master had to admit.

"Well, you can be sure that he will be found and punished for failing in his duties, Randall," spat the King, "I do not care a whit that he may have been provoked; unless you have _expressly_ given him leave, he had no business in stopping his work let alone _leaving your presence_. It will not be _you_ that will go looking for him. Not in my household anyway," the King insisted. "Now, I will immediately have the Steward arrange for a new servant to attend you."

Master Randall gulped, wondering how things had gotten so out of hand, but he knew he had to say something lest he lose his secret student. "Sire, I thank you for your concern, but at this point I would prefer to keep the boy once he is found. He is used to my ways, and I have not the time to train somebody new at this late stage. And as I have said, other than this one small failure, he _has_ provided excellent service."

The King stared at him for a few moments, and Master Randall got the impression that Uther thought him mad, but finally the King relented, "I …understand, Randall. In that case I shall have the boy sent directly to you _after_ he has been punished, and you may be sure that this will not happen again."

"Thank you Sire," said Master Randall breathing a sigh of relief. He did not dare to ask the King for leniency, since so far everything he'd said had just managed to make things worse.

* * *

"So, _Mer_ lin, are you feeling better about life now?" asked Arthur as the two young men sat companionably by a campfire eating the pair of rabbits that the young servant had just finished skinning and cooking.

Merlin smiled over at the Prince around his mouthful, swallowed and said, "Yeah, I am. I think I just needed to get a bit of perspective on things."

Arthur raised his eyebrows, "Oh, you needed _perspective_ did you? Sounds serious!"

Merlin laughed, "Yeah. You do know what that means, right?"

Arthur rolled his eyes and took another bite of his lunch before looking back at his servant, nodding to indicate that he was still waiting for Merlin's words of wisdom.

The young warlock sighed and put down the pointed stick that had been used to skewer his rabbit. "When I think back on it, I realize that the Master was already angry before I even got there, and I probably just made things worse by barging in on him when he was in the middle of telling off his student," he explained. "Maybe…I hope… that he just said the first thing that came into his mind, and he didn't really mean it." Nodding to himself he added, "I suppose I should at least give him the benefit of the doubt anyway."

"You're a bigger man than I am to put it behind you so easily," Arthur said honestly. He would never say it to his servant, but he greatly admired the way that Merlin was able to think beyond his baser and more immediate emotions in order to come to the heart of a problem, and consequently to solve it wisely instead of rashly. The Prince had come to rely on this very ability rather more frequently than he cared to admit since Merlin had been made his manservant.

"Oh, don't let it go to your head, you idiot," the Prince said, on seeing Merlin's sudden flash of dimples. "Now, hurry up and finish eating. I want to make sure we have time to reach the glade in the middle of the forest; sometimes the deer come out in the afternoon at this time of year, especially when there's been a bit of rain."

Merlin was still smiling even by the time he'd packed up their small camp and mounted his horse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I might be leaving you in a little bit of suspense by ending this here, but it's (mostly) unintentional! The chapter just got too long, so I had to split it and this seemed like the best place. Will you still love me if I _promise_ that the next chapter will be totally epic?


	12. Gaius Returns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, _EPIC_ Chapter ahead, as promised

Master Randall had finally come to the conclusion that he would not be able to get his young protégé out of the trouble the Master had inadvertently landed him in. He could only hope that Uther would not deal too harshly with the boy; surely a King had _far_ more important matters to take care of than an errant servant.

While he was getting to his feet and preparing to take his leave from Uther, a messenger arrived in the Great Hall to advise the King that the Court Physician had just returned to Camelot and would be in his chambers unpacking, should he be needed.

Master Randall smiled at the news. He did not have any students until the middle of the afternoon, and since, unfortunately, he also did not have the young servant to teach, he decided that it would be a perfect time to drop in on his old friend.

* * *

"Gaius," boomed Master Randall, after being invited into the Physician's quarters a short time later. "It's about time you got back! I've been expecting you for more than a week now."

"Randall, you old goat," said Gaius smiling broadly at his friend as he led him over to the small table that he and Merlin used for meals. Once his guest was comfortably seated, the elderly physician began to search for things to make some tea, wondering where his ward had hidden them away. "Yes, I did expect to be back before now, but I was delayed by some flooding from the rains we've had over the past few days. But how are you?"

"I'm fine, fine my friend," answered the Master jovially. "There is quite a crop of promising young talent here. As usual, Camelot does seem to grow them."

Gaius smiled, "Well, Uther has long been a patron of the arts so I suppose many of his subjects take up the study to impress him, and encourage their children to do likewise."

Master Randall nodded his agreement, "No doubt, Gaius. But I can't complain. I've got at least twenty youngsters who could turn into decent musicians, perhaps even Masters in time. In fact I don't have enough apprenticeships available to offer to all of the deserving ones."

Gaius laughed at his friend's enthusiasm. "And have you met any with 'other' talents to go along with their music?"

"Yes indeed," the musician responded, "and I'll wager you had a hand in that!"

"Well, the timing of my trip away from the city is, of course, no coincidence," the physician confirmed. "As soon as I heard you were coming I planned my own foray so I could send any likely candidates your way." With a note of reprimand he added, "But you didn't send very much advance notice Randall, so I had to rush to make it to all of those households that I'd found since your last trip here, to be sure they knew you were coming."

"Yes, forgive me for that, Gaius," he said, "But the summer weather began early, and it's always so difficult to get back home in the autumn rains that we decided to take advantage and make an early start."

Gaius brought the tea over and poured it before sitting down so the two men could continue their conversation.

"So what of the youngsters I've sent you, Randall?" Gaius asked impatiently.

After taking a sip of his tea Master Randall said, "Peace, Gaius. There are a couple who are working hard and may yet be able to be brought up to a standard that will allow me to choose them as apprentices. If not, then perhaps I may take them as boarding students. Others are elite talents in their own right, and still others have already been told they will not make the grade. But of those, I am hoping at least a few may be able to be sent for training as lute makers and be able to leave Camelot that way."

Gaius nodded grimly, "That will give some hope to their parents then. It's such a tricky thing when an otherwise loyal supporter of Uther's suddenly finds that his child has manifested magical abilities."

Setting down his tea for a moment, the Master nodded and said, "It is fortunate for us that the talent in magic does so often go hand in hand with an exceptional gift for music."

"Just as it did in you, Randall," said Gaius, gesturing to his friend with his teacup.

Smiling, the Master acknowledged it, "Indeed," before becoming somber for a moment. "That day when Uther asked you and me to swear never to use our magic again was among the hardest of my life," he said softly, remembering those horrible days just after Ygraine's death.

The two elderly men sat silently for a moment, lost in their thoughts. They had each had a deep love for Camelot's charismatic young King Uther and for the years of peace and prosperity he had brought before his beloved wife's death had forever changed the man. At the time they had been made to swear, each had hoped that eventually, Uther would get over his grief and see the injustice he had brought about.

As the months went by, though, they had come to realize that this might never happen, and so had created their 'escape chain' as they called it. Their endeavour allowed nobles who had always been loyal to Uther, but who unexpectedly found themselves with a teenage son or daughter who had magic to be able to send their children to a safe haven. The two men hoped that these nobles would be less likely to turn their backs on Camelot if they had such an option. In turn, the young sorcerer could also grow and develop without fear. After all, Arthur would need friends and allies, and in fact so would Uther, if Arthur was to have anything to inherit.

Finally having had enough of his gloomy thoughts, the Master decided to reminisce about happier times. With a grin he said, "But of course not every magic user has a musical talent, and you, Gaius are certainly proof to that!"

Gaius laughed, and said, "Yes, I fully admit that, Randall."

Master Randall went on, "Yes, I well remember back when we were studying together, before I had been chosen for my apprenticeship. Songmaster had his hands full with you!"

"Well, _Songmaster_ was an idiot in any case," said Gaius pointedly.

Chuckling, the Master said, "Do you remember that girl… Margaret or Margery or something I think," gesturing to indicate that the young lady had had long and curling locks.

"No, I do _not_ ," spat Gaius, a little bit too quickly to be convincing, and causing Master Randall to smile even more broadly.

"Well I do. In fact, I remember quite clearly that she _wept_ when Songmaster told her she was to sing a duet with you," he teased.

"I remember no such thing. Your age must be catching up to you!" Gaius retorted.

"No, rather I think that it is _your_ age catching you, Gaius!" he said, laughing.

Gaius finally began to laugh too. He had long since reconciled himself to the fact that his own abilities lay along a different path than his old friend's.

* * *

Once they'd stopped laughing over their school years, Gaius cleared the tea things from the table and came to sit back down. "So, Randall I trust Mathilda is well, and helping you in your search for talent?" he asked.

"Yes, of course, I could never do this without her," the Master said, "and she will no doubt be over to tell you so herself as soon as she hears that you have returned!"

Gaius chuckled, "I shall be glad to see her again! So tell me, have either of you found any standouts? Did I hear that you were looking to take on a new personal apprentice? Have you found any likely candidates?"

"Ha," laughed the Master, "Now that is a story, Gaius. Would you believe that so far my most talented find is no less than a kitchen boy? Can you imagine?"

"Is that so? I was not aware that we had any singing servants," said Gaius in surprise.

"You certainly do," Master Randall insisted, "I've been keeping him close and trying to instruct him without anyone, including the boy, figuring it out. It's been quite a challenge, but I think it may finally be the right time to open the teaching of Court music to those not of noble birth. This boy has a natural talent I have not seen in many years, if _ever_ , Gaius."

The physician smiled at his friend's passion. "That would be _quite_ a shakeup," he said. "I wonder what the King would think."

"Well, I have _no_ doubt that if he was a noble, or even if I'd found him when he was still a young child, this boy would already have his Mastery. I'd probably be working for him!" said the Master with a laugh. "But you are right about the King, Gaius. Before I make _any_ decisions I've being trying to make sure that the boy is strong of character. His musical aptitude would not be nearly enough to see him succeed. He would need to put up with a lot of resistance and doubt about his abilities, you know."

"Yes, I do know, Randall," answered Gaius. "Has the boy measured up?"

"Yes, he _certainly_ has. He is definitely intelligent too. Too much so for his own good, I fear. Just this morning I had to kick him out of my classroom – or I was about to - until he decided to leave all on his own. He has noticed our special students, Gaius, and has asked questions even before today that were a little too close for comfort to exposing our escape route."

"Oh dear," said Gaius with alarm, "Did he learn anything?"

"No, nothing that would point to anything other than me taking bribes," said the musician, "although that's bad enough. I imagine he was _quite_ offended by that possibility, as he seems a very honest and cheerful type. He is tenacious though, and I will have to find something I can tell him if he ever asks again."

Gaius smiled at that, "He sounds a bit like my ward, Randall." Looking around the room as though he expected to find Merlin nearby, the physician eventually turned back to Master Randall and said, "I cannot wait for you to meet him, but he must be out somewhere. I have not seen hide or hair of him since I've been back."

Master Randall smiled at the obvious affection in his friend's voice.

Gaius became serious all of a sudden, and bending closer the musician he said quietly, "The boy is Balinor's son, Randall, though he does not know it."

Master Randall opened his eyes wide in surprise and said, " _Balinor?!_ I'm glad we got him out, Gaius. _There_ was a man, and a singer! He could have had his own Mastery if he'd not had his talents with the great creatures. You say your ward is his _son_? Can the young man sing too?"

Gaius laughed, "Randall, with my wood ear, I really cannot judge, though he does tend to hum at the _most_ inconvenient times."

The Master laughed back, "Very true, what was I _thinking_? Well, perhaps I will ask him and judge for myself!"

"Yes, that would probably be much more enlightening," said the physician.

"What about his mother, Gaius? How did you come to take this boy in?" Master Randall asked curiously.

"Well, you may not believe this, considering our small operation does exactly the opposite," said Gaius, "but his mother sent him to me … because he has magic."

"You are right, I _do_ find it hard to believe," said the musician in surprise. "Why would she send him _here_ of all places?"

"She wanted me to help him learn to control it, lest he be discovered, Randall, and I would do just about anything for her," Gaius explained. "His mother is very dear to me."

"Really, who is she then, Gaius?" Master Randall asked gently, surprised to know that any woman had such a hold on his old friend.

"She's actually my half-sister from … an indiscretion of my father's when he was very late in life. As you know, Randall, he never married."

"Yes, I remember you telling me so," said the Master, interested now. He had never known Gaius had had a sister.

"Well, since I was his first born and of a noble house on my mother's side, he was proud to acknowledge me and was eventually able set me up as an apprentice to one of the physicians here in Camelot, even though I had no claim to any of his lands," Gaius explained.

Master Randall nodded with a smile. He well remembered the day that the excited young Gaius had come rushing into their dormitory bursting to share the happy news about his new assignment.

Gaius shifted in his chair for a moment, trying to find a more comfortable position before smiling back at his friend and continuing his story. "Unfortunately, he was not able to do the same for Hunith, who was born of a peasant girl," he said. "Still, he did take _try_ to care of her and had her brought to Camelot as a lady's playmate when she was a child, and so she learned to read and write."

"She is lucky then, Gaius. Most men would have let the girl's mother fend for herself," commented the Master.

"Indeed, Randall," Gaius replied. "And it was lucky for me too, because as she got older she was able to help me out, and became quite knowledgeable in herbal lore. Then when Uther began his purge, she asked me to help set her up in a town just outside of the borders of Camelot so that she could help escaping magic users; she created a sort of 'safe house' if you will. The townsfolk there accepted her readily as a healer and were so happy to have her that they didn't pry too deeply into her reasons for leaving Camelot I guess."

"Oh it was _that_ Hunith," said Master Randall, his eyes lighting up at the memory. "Yes I do remember meeting her in your chambers once I think. So that's where Balinor ended up?"

Gaius nodded, "Yes, but when Uther started to search outside of Camelot, Balinor had to leave her and she was already with child. I imagine he thought it was safer for her that way, and I'm not sure if he ever knew he had a child on the way."

"The poor man," said Master Randall sadly, "He deserved so much better, Gaius, and so did she."

"Yes, they surely did, Randall," agreed Gaius. "Merlin does not know any of this, as his mother did not want him to go out looking for his father when he was still too young to control his magic. If he'd been caught…" Gaius trailed off. Neither man wanted to dwell on what would have befallen the boy in _that_ case.

"But what about now, Gaius?" asked the Master. "Surely it's something he ought to know. What about when Balinor dies, if he hasn't already. Could the boy control the dragon Uther has enchained below the castle?"

"Well, I imagine Hunith may tell him, now that he's older," answered Gaius, "But he's not gone home for quite some time. It's certainly not my place to do it."

Gaius stared down at the table, wringing his hands just slightly as if debating with himself over something, before looking up intently into Master Randall's eyes, apparently having come to a decision. "There is … more …, Randall, and you need to know it, he said. Dropping to almost a whisper he added, "Of course you know well the prophecy of 'the once and future king'."

"Naturally, Gaius," answered the Master with a perplexed frown, "I've even attempted to research it in foreign courts, in the name of 'teaching songs'. Of course what I've found could never be taught or even _mentioned_ in Camelot while Uther still lives. But I live in the same hope as you do, that one day this prophecy will become fact."

Glancing about the room as if to be sure they were still alone, Gaius leaned in even closer and whispered, "Well that day may be on us sooner than you think, Randall. The boy's magic is … very strong. The strongest I have ever seen. _Extraordinary_ even. More than that, there have been … signs … that he is the 'Emrys' of the prophecy."

Randall leaned back heavily in his chair for a moment, opening his eyes wide, and dropping his arms to his sides with the weight of what he had just heard. Once he'd had a chance to take the comment in, he leaned forward again so his forehead was almost touching with Gaius' " _Emrys!_? Are you certain?" the musician asked with surprise.

"No, I'm _not_ certain, but the more I come to know the boy, the more I am inclined to believe it," answered Gaius firming his mouth and nodding. Leaning back in his seat, the physician began smiling again as he thought fondly of his ward, "Of course, he is largely untrained as yet, and so it will be many years before he has the control he needs to truly master his gifts. He'd never even incanted a spell before he came to me!"

"Extraordinary!" said Master Randall with a grin of happiness at the news. "It gives me much hope for the future then, and for our kind. I will renew my efforts to find young magic users and keep them safe to develop in a loving rather than fearful environment. That way Emrys will have magical allies without hatred of Camelot, when he finally comes into his full power," he added passionately.

Gaius smiled back at his friend. He was glad he had decided to tell the man the truth about the boy he'd come to love as a son.

"But Gaius," asked Master Randall, as he had the sudden thought, "If the boy is indeed Emrys, or even just because he has magic, would he not want to help us with our mission?"

Gaius nodded, but became serious once more, "Yes, no doubt he would be very eager to do so. _Too_ eager for his own good I fear," said Gaius with a fond smile at thinking about his ward's probable reaction. "But Randall the boy is still so very young; he has not even come of age yet, and he already bears and has borne such a great burden that I prefer to spare him this one while I still can."

"I suppose you are right, Gaius," the Master conceded, "After all, we two old men have managed well enough these many years."

Gaius nodded, glad that the magician had understood, "Perhaps one day if we have some specific need for him I will ask, but for now I prefer to keep him ignorant of our endeavor. Besides, he may not really understand our motivation. After all, _he_ has never seen our King in any type of a _positive_ light. I mean, the man _executed a sorcerer_ in front of Merlin when the boy had been in Camelot for less than an hour! Merlin may well feel that if Uther's nobles want to cut their ties with him, then that is as it should be."

Master Randall nodded, "Yes, I had not thought of that Gaius. But where is this boy, I should dearly love to meet him!"

Gaius laughed, "Well as I have said, I have not seen him since I've been home. No doubt our Prince already has him occupied. Randall, you have no idea what Arthur has him do in the span of a day."

The Master let out a surprised gasp, "You mean the Prince knows of his magic?"

Gaius paused with his mouth open in confusion over why Randall would ask such a question, "Oh no, he doesn't use him for his magic," the physician finally said. "Arthur does not know the boy has any, and of course it must stay that way. Merlin is his _manservant, a_ nd our Prince keeps him _very_ busy."

"Indeed. His manservant? _Emrys_? I never would have guessed …," said Master Randall pensively, vaguely recalling the unimpressive young servant whom he had seen attending Arthur a few occasions. "But how did a _sorcerer_ end up as servant to the Prince, Gaius? I would have thought that would be the last place you would have wanted to place your ward."

Gaius chuckled, "Well yes, it was not exactly what I had intended for him. In fact, I had hopes of turning him into a physician once I got to know his intelligence and temperament," the elderly man said with some obvious pride in the boy. "But destiny had other plans for him, though he may also make a physician yet," and Gaius proceeded to tell Randall about the night Merlin was rewarded with his position in the Royal Household.

* * *

Long after Master Randall had returned to his teaching, two tired, cheerful and wet young men arrived at the Western gates of the city. A deer and several rabbits were shared between their saddles, which were covered by blankets to protect them as best they could from the light rain that had begun to fall in the middle of the afternoon.

"Prince Arthur, your father has requested your immediate attendance in the Great Hall," said the guard on duty at the Gate.

"Arthur, I will go ahead and take this to the kitchens while you go to him," said Merlin pointing to their catch, "And then I will leave you in George's capable hands and go back to my chambers, if that's alright with you. It's well after dinner and I need to get working on a batch of medicines, although maybe Gaius has even returned by now. I can be back to attend you in a couple of hours if you want, though."

Before Arthur had a chance to answer, the guard said to Merlin, "No boy, the King has also stated that the Prince's manservant must accompany him."

Arthur and Merlin looked at each other in confusion, and Merlin also with a building sense of dread.

"Well Merlin, I guess you will need to change your plans," said Arthur, forcing a smile.

* * *

Less than a half-hour later, the two truants stood in the Great Hall before the King. Arthur looked defiantly at his father, while Merlin stood beside him. The young warlock was acting the model servant with his hands clasped before him and his head bowed.

"Father, I wished to go on a hunt," Arthur said in response to the question over the servant's whereabouts, "and since Master Randall had dismissed Merlin for the afternoon I decided to bring him. After all, Merlin on a horse may be bad, but the servant who has replaced him during the Master's stay is even _worse_ and I did not want to be responsible for seeing him injured."

"Arthur," said the King angrily from where he sat on his throne, "Do not _lie_ to me. I had lunch with the Master Musician, and he told me _himself_ that this servant had left his duties _without permission_."

Arthur aimed a quick look of alarm at his servant, but Merlin did not look up.

The King had caught the look and matched it with his own glare. Looking from Arthur to the servant and back again, Uther said coldly, "I _cannot_ have my direct orders disobeyed on a whim, Arthur. You _knew_ of your manservant's assignment; it was _your own idea,_ and you _both_ knew that the Master has certain eccentricities. However, the role he plays is too important for proper operation of my Kingdom for me to let this go unpunished."

Standing up to loom over the two young men, the King pronounced, "Arthur, you will be confined to your quarters for the duration of the evening and for all of tomorrow as well."

"You are sending me to my room?" asked Arthur, incredulously, "But Father, that's ridiculous; I am not a child!"

"Well you've acted one today, running out on your duties and causing your servant to neglect his own," answered the King. "So the punishment is entirely fitting and I do not want to hear any more about it."

All the while, Merlin was listening with a growing sense of dread. He knew that if Arthur couldn't even talk his own way out of a punishment caused by _Merlin's_ lapse, there was no way that the King would be lenient on the serving boy.

Merlin gulped, still not daring to raise his eyes as Uther turned towards him. He did not want to even _imagine_ the thunderous look that he knew the King was now directing at him.

"And _you_ would _dare_ to deny a _direct_ _assignment_ from _your_ _King_ , on a matter you _knew_ was of importance to the state? _Explain yourself, boy,"_ the King spat at him.

Merlin gulped again. He did not really understand why it was so important _to_ _the state_ that he kept the floor of the teaching room scrubbed, or the instruments polished, but he _certainly_ was not about to ask the King. "But… what Master Randall said to me, Sire … I thought … he'd had enough of my services," Merlin stammered out at last.

"Well that would _not_ have surprised me in the _least_!" muttered the King before returning to his stern tone. "You are lucky I am not going to sack you on the spot, but for some _unfathomable_ reason, Master Randall still wishes you to serve him, or he would not have been looking for you when I talked to him during the midday meal. So I _cannot_ believe he said anything to make you feel you were _free_ to _leave_ those duties.

Merlin did not dare to deny it, and finally turned fearful eyes up to the Uther to see what the King would decree.

"For your inattention to your duties you will be put into the stocks until the midnight bell," came the verdict at last. The King beckoned one of the guards forward before fixing his glare back on Merlin. "This punishment is to take place _immediately_ since I expect you to be ready and waiting on Master Randall's pleasure _first thing in the morning."_

Merlin lowered his eyes guiltily. He knew he had no one to blame but himself. He had _known_ deep down that he should have returned to the Master for the afternoon. He also knew that Uther was being quite lenient with him, and counted himself lucky that the punishment was not much worse.

Arthur didn't seem to feel the same way though, "But father, it's _pouring rain_ outside, you will make him ill," the Prince argued.

"Arthur, you are exaggerating. It's summer, it's a light shower and it's still quite warm outside and you _know_ it," said Uther, sounding more like a frustrated father than a King, now that the punishments had been dealt out. "If you had a concern about the rain making your servant ill, you should not have had him out riding in it all afternoon. He could have been warm and dry in the castle and properly attending to his duties."

Looking over at his son, the King said with a small grim smile of indulgence, "However, since you are so concerned, I will offer the boy an alternative. Rather than the stocks, he may elect to spend the night in the dungeons." Looking back towards Merlin, Uther said, "So boy, which will you select."

Merlin looked up in surprise to have been offered a choice. He considered for a moment, but finally decided that he would prefer the stocks after all. It would be unlikely that there would be many children throwing fruit in the rain, especially since it was already evening, and at least he would be able to dry off and sleep in his own rat-free bed, afterwards. "Sire, I will take the stocks," he said, adding a hesitant 'Thank you'.

"The punishment stands then!" said Uther, turning back towards the guard and gesturing for Merlin to be taken away.

Arthur watched as his servant was escorted out of the room, shook his head while wearing what could only be called a pout, but wisely didn't say any more to his angry father.

* * *

The next morning, whether due to being in the stocks or to being out in the rain for the afternoon, Merlin woke up with aching legs, a sore throat and the sniffles. He sighed, and took stock of how he was feeling, finally deciding that although he was a little bit under the weather, he was certainly not ill enough to be late to Master Randall for a second day in a row. Not that he would have dared _that_ in any case, not after the disaster that the day before had become.

"Gaius," he called out hoarsely as he pulled open his door and headed down the stairs. Besides his breakfast and a hot cup of tea, he was hoping for a bit of sympathy and maybe even a pastille to soothe his aching throat, if Gaius had any to spare. He'd been very happy to see that his mentor had finally returned home, and had paused to lovingly cover the sleeping man with a blanket the night earlier, just before squelching his way up to his room to dry off and get some sleep.

Unfortunately, it looked like at least the sympathy would have to wait. Gaius was already out of his bed and had left their chambers, no doubt in a hurry to get started on his rounds after being away for so long. The young warlock sighed but then smiled when he saw that the old man had still taken the time to set out Merlin's plate and cup for him, and had even left some sort of sweet beside them, a treat that a father would bring a child after a long time apart. Though no longer a child, and even though Gaius was not his father, Merlin's heart still warmed at the sentiment.

This put him in a much better mood while he finished his tea, pocketed his sweet along with a pastille he had managed to scrounge up for his throat, and headed out to begin his day.

Merlin decided he'd better be on his best behaviour that morning, since he had no idea how Master Randall would welcome him after the childish escapade of the previous day. And because he was not really sure if he was still allowed to play the bass viols as he usually did first thing in the morning, he made sure to arrive armed with his cleaning bucket full of warmed water. He also stopped in at the kitchen to take a pastry of the type that he knew the Master liked best, although with a wan smile he chided himself for resorting to what was almost bribery.

* * *

"Good morning, Sir," the young servant croaked as he put the tray on the table in front of Master Randall. He immediately started to feel embarrassed for having brought a peace offering, and self-consciously hurried over towards the windows without looking at the man again. Merlin bent to put his brush into the bucket and did not notice how the musician's had head shot up in response to the young man's greeting.

The Master watched the young servant for a moment before saying tensely, "Boy, what's the matter with your voice?"

"It's just a bit of a cold," said Merlin, not able to keep the crossness out of his rasping answer. "That's what happens when a commoner skips out on his chores and gets sent to the stocks in the rain." The young servant had really hoped not to get angry again, but found he could not help himself, probably because his throat had started to ache again, and his only pastille was long since dissolved.

Master Randall did not seem to have noticed his tone, though. "The stocks? In the rain?" he asked angrily, his shock making each word louder and higher than the last. "Did they not think that this may damage your voice?"

Merlin looked up in surprise at the Master's outrage, but then he remembered again why he'd walked out the day earlier and spat, "Well, why would they even CARE? After all, it's not likely to do me any good for anything other than calling pigs, since I'm nothing but a lowborn peasant."

Master Randall had not even heard Merlin's answer since he was rushing towards the door, which he pulled open forcefully. "You, come here immediately," he called out urgently to a nearby guard.

Merlin stood quickly from where he had been crouched on the floor putting the cleaning liquid into his bucket, and took several steps back towards the corner, wondering what on earth had possessed the musician. After the way things had gone the day before, he wondered if the man was planning to have him _arrested_ for letting his mouth get the best of him _again_.

That was not what the Master had in mind though, for when the guard got to the door, the musician did _not_ send him to drag the young servant away. Instead the Master said intently, although too quietly for Merlin to hear, "Go and fetch the physician at once, and tell him to bring whatever he may need for a respiratory ailment and an infection of the throat. Now hurry!"

Leaving the door open, Master Randall turned quickly back to face Merlin, one hand fisted in his hair as though he had just received some horrible news. The young servant could only stand open-mouthed, and wondered again what could _possibly_ have the Master in such a state. Surely it could not have anything to do with _him?_ He was just a servant with the beginnings of a cold. It did not seem worth _anybody_ taking notice of, and even Merlin had not really dwelt on it for very long; not with a full day of chores ahead of him.

Master Randall dropped his hand down at last and walked back over towards his table, beckoning to Merlin as he came. "Boy, come over here and sit _down_ ," he ordered.

Merlin narrowed his eyes in confusion, "But I have work to do!" he protested, pointing at his bucket. "The King himself commanded me to be here early and I don't dare to shirk today."

"Shhh, shhh, shush boy," whispered the Master, gesturing at Merlin to quiet down, "Save your voice."

"But…," Merlin tried again, only to be cut off with another gesture and a 'Shush'.

So the young servant sat, bemused, and the Master Musician steepled his fingers and just watched the boy, obviously trying to decide what to say next.

Finally, Merlin had had enough scrutiny, and although he still did not know why the Master wanted him to sit around doing nothing, it _certainly_ seemed as though the musician was not really angry at him anymore. In fact, unless Merlin missed his guess, Master Randall was surely acting as though he felt guilty. The young servant decided he knew a way that may break their stalemate, and so smiling brightly up at the musician, Merlin made a show of whispering as softly as he could manage and said, "Sir,… if I am not allowed to talk, perhaps… we could play a bit of viol?" and waggled his eyebrows.

Master Randall immediately dropped his hands and let out a loud roar of laughter, not stopping even when tears came to his eyes. Wiping them away he said, "Yes, boy, I think we shall indeed do that. I do owe it to you!"

Merlin looked towards the viols then and was about to rise to fetch one but the Master put his hand on the young servant's arm and said, "But wait, not just yet I think."

Merlin settled back in his chair but before he could ask why they needed to wait, Master Randall turned towards the door and grinned broadly. "Gaius, right on time," he said.

The young servant spun toward the door so quickly that he almost toppled out of his chair, and ended up standing and with his mouth hanging open in surprise. He had not expected the Master to have called the physician over his little cold.

"Randall, why have you called me?" asked the physician, not yet having noticed his ward. "The guard said there was some sort of respiratory emergency?"

"Yes, yes," said the Master turning towards Merlin, but before he could explain what he wanted, the young servant, forgetting the Master's edict not to speak, cried out "Gaius!" and walked towards his mentor with a huge smile on his face.

"Merlin!" exclaimed Gaius in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"Gaius, I've called you to take a look at my young servant. I fear he is coming down with a malady of the throat," said Master Randall, walking over to join the two. "And I would not want….wait a minute, did you just call him ' _Merlin'_?"

Merlin lowered his head and hunched his shoulders in embarrassment, "Um, sorry Master Randall, I meant to tell you, but…I was …um…it just never seemed … a good time, and honestly, I stopped noticing, really," he said hoarsely.

Gaius tightened his lips grimly at the evidence of his ward's obviously sore throat, but turned to his friend incredulously. "Randall, don't _tell_ me that this is the kitchen boy you were telling me about?"

Master Randall didn't answer. Instead, just as incredulously, he said, "This is your _ward?"_

Merlin was completely baffled. He shifted his eyes between the Master and the physician several times before he finally said, "You two _know_ each other?"

Both of the elderly men began to laugh. "Yes indeed, boy. We've been friends since we were a lot younger than you are now," chuckled Master Randall.

Gaius chuckled for a second more before becoming serious again. "Merlin, we will tell you all about it, but first I want to do what Randall called me here for," said the physician, putting his arm around his ward's shoulders and guiding the boy back to the chair.

* * *

"Honestly Gaius, it's just a cold. I don't see what the big concern is," whined Merlin after Gaius had looked down his throat and into his ears, and had palmed his forehead, both cheeks and felt along his neck.

Gaius smiled at his ward, sparing a momentary glance at his friend before turning back to the young warlock. "Well now, Merlin, Randall is a singer and has _always_ taken this type of malady overly seriously, almost as though it is an affront to his very person."

Master Randall rolled his eyes, "I'm not _that_ bad, Gaius; but yes, throat ailments and singers do not mix well, so I prefer to treat such problems as soon as they manifest."

"But I'm not really a _singer_ , so could I just get back to my chores now? _Please_ , Gaius? I have a lot to do!" said Merlin, still whining, if truth be told. The young servant did _not_ want to lose his promised opportunity to play the bass viol that day.

Gaius looked once more over to Master Randall and then back at his ward again, "Merlin do you have a headache?" he asked.

"No, I'm fi….," began the boy, before noticing that Gaius was sporting that hated raised eyebrow that could always work better than any truth-potion Merlin had ever studied. "Well, …perhaps … just a small one," he admitted glumly.

Gaius nodded, "As I expected. You do have a touch of fever, my boy, so unless Master Randall has a very urgent need for your services today, then I think it will be better if you go back to your room and rest. If the fever breaks over the course of the day, then you may return to your duties tomorrow."

Merlin looked towards the musician, hoping the man would step in and tell Gaius how indispensable he was, but the Master just smiled and said, "I'm sure I can find a way to make do today, Gaius. Marv…I mean _Merlin_ , I shall expect you first thing tomorrow."

Merlin knew he was acting like a child, but the pout just _would_ _not_ leave his face, "Fine, but first you need to tell me how you know each other," he said a touch petulantly.

Gaius and Master Randall took turns explaining how they had met as young schoolboys and about their youthful escapades. When they reached the time of Ygraine's death, the two men looked at each other, wondering how much they should tell the boy.

Gaius held Master Randall's gaze for a moment, while making his decision. Even though he had not initially wanted Merlin to know about the 'escape chain', now that Gaius realized that his ward was in fact the servant who was already suspicious about Master Randall's special students, Gaius thought it best for them all if the boy knew the truth.

"Merlin,...Randall tells me that you walked in on a conversation he was having with a student yesterday, and that maybe you also thought that there was something… off… about that same student…?" said Gaius prompted, hesitantly.

Merlin sat up, sore throat forgotten, "Um…well I know it was not really any of my business," he said, "but…yes… and I was very …uncomfortable…about it," he said, ears reddening slightly as he admitted to having had reservations about such a dear friend of his mentor's.

"Well you were right, Merlin," answered Master Randall quietly. The musician looked at Gaius who nodded for him to continue. "Those students have magic…and … so do I," he admitted, looking up into the shocked face of the young warlock. "And…Gaius tells me that…that you do too," he said oh, so gently.

Merlin said nothing, his eyes were wide open in shocked surprise, darting between his mentor and Master Randall, not knowing how to answer or what to say, not only to the fact that the musician knew his deepest secret, but that he apparently also _shared_ it.

Gaius broke in then. "Merlin," he said as quietly as had the musician, "Randall and I have for many, _many_ years, since before you were even born, been collaborating to find young nobles with both magical _and_ musical talents, so that Randall can take them on as apprentices in order to get them away from Camelot safely, and with no repercussions on their families."

Merlin continued to look from one man to the other in shock for quite a long while, until he finally began to smile slightly, and then more, until his whole face brightened with the dimpled grin that Gaius had come to love so well. "Wow, Gaius! You are a rebel, and I never even _guessed_ it!" he said joyfully.

"That certainly explains everything, and I'm sorry I ever doubted you," the young warlock said to Master Randall, his joy not dimming in the least.

Gaius smiled too, and said, "Merlin, you also need to know…Randall knows of the prophecy of the once and future King … and of your role in it, my boy."

Merlin's eyes widened again, but rather than the wise response he had really been hoping he could make, he began to cough.

Master Randall and Gaius waited as he caught his breath again, and with a smile the Master said, "Gaius, it seems that even powerful, young warlocks need to put their destinies on hold when they are ill, and so I think you had better take this young man back to his room and put him to bed for the rest of the day."

Merlin had recovered enough to make one more try to get permission to stay in the music room, "Master Randall, I'm alright now, are you _sure_ you don't want me to stay? I can polish the instruments and run through viol exercises if you need me to, even if I can't sing today."

Before Gaius could make his objection, the Master said, "Merlin, don't worry, everything will be in its place when you return."

At the young warlock's half-scowl of resignation, Master Randall was reminded that great magic aside, this was a young boy replete with many non-magical wishes and hopes, and subject to usual teenage anxieties and insecurities. That, in turn reminded the Master that he had hurt the boy the previous day, and that he needed to make amends.

"My boy, before you go, I … believe I owe you an apology for what I said to you yesterday," the musician admitted, causing Gaius to move back a few steps to give them some privacy.

Merlin looked up at him in surprise, "No... it's fine," he said, "I mean I didn't like it, but… I understood..."

Master Randall smiled, "Ah, though I think you do not. I _really_ did not mean anything that I said to you. Quite the opposite! I have been thinking for some time about taking on some commoners as students, at least in types of music that they can hope to understand," he explained.

Merlin looked even more confused; this had not at all been his impression through the months of the musical competition.

"When you started singing on that first day, I decided to use you as a bit of an experiment," the Master continued. "And so far, you are better than I would have ever expected from a servant."

Merlin was not very sure whether that meant he might also be better than the noble students, but he was so shocked to receive a compliment that all he could say was a surprised, "Um… thank you."

Master Randall dropped his voice and said, "I'm sorry I could not be more forthcoming about how I was teaching you, but the other students would not have understood. However … if you are able to forgive me, I promise that I shall continue to allow you to sing and play the bass viol, once Gaius grants his permission for it, of course," he added as the physician smiled and came back to stand beside where Merlin still sat in his chair.

Merlin stood and smiled brightly, "Thanks Master Randall. I'm sure I will be fine tomorrow!" Actually he felt better already, now that Master Randall had not only gotten over his anger, but had promised he could continue learning even more music.

* * *

As he watched Gaius lead the young warlock out of the room, Master Randall sat at his table, deep in thought. Now that he knew his singing protégé had a magical destiny, the musician's intention to take the boy on as an apprentice had hit a rather large obstacle. He would have to think about whether it was fair to tempt the young warlock away from his role as Emrys. Then again perhaps it was unfair _not_ do so, for surely the boy ought to have _some_ choice in his future.

Then there was the matter of the boy's extraordinary talent – the young servant had no idea of the extent of it, Master Randall was certain of that. But would it be better to expose it without alsooffering the boy the reward he so obviously deserved? Or was he better just to leave Merlin and the rest of Camelot in the dark and deprive them of the boy's sweet voice and growing virtuosity on the bass viol.

Shaking his head, he decided he would have to make those decisions later on. Right now he was servantless and he needed to take out the lutes for one of the ensembles that would be coming to the class any moment.

* * *

"Merlin, could you bring me my handkerchief?" whined Arthur the next evening from where he sat in a chair with a blanket around his shoulders, while Merlin tried to pour the Prince's bath.

The young servant had been allowed to return to his duties that morning after a full _day_ confined to his bed. He had eagerly made up for his lost day of music by starting early and returning late from Master Randall's classroom, and had told Gaius that 'of course' he was fine to attend Arthur that evening. He was starting to regret that now though, as his energy had not yet fully returned and he was flagging; unfortunately he was not in the mood to deal with the _irritating_ Prince he had on his hands tonight.

"Arthur, it's on the table _two steps_ away from you, and I'm all the way across the room. You're not dying so get it yourself!" the young servant said in exasperation.

"Are you _quite_ sure about that?" asked Arthur without making any type of move to get up out of his chair. "I certainly feel as though I must be. And my head _hurts._ _"_

"Yes, I'm quite sure," Merlin answered as he poured another bucket into the tub. "You've got the same cold as I have, and look, I can still walk around and _everything_."

Arthur ignored him of course. " _Merlin,_ is there any tea left? I'd like mine sweet and hot, but you already know that," the Prince said.

"Arthur! I'm _trying_ to pour your bath and that tea is on the _same_ table as the handkerchief, two steps from you _in the other direction!"_ Merlin exclaimed. "So you can either _get it yourself_ or else you will just have to wait until I'm finished up here."

Arthur glared at him for a moment, but still made no move to get up out of his seat.

Merlin managed to pour three more buckets before Arthur called him again, "Merlin, I want you to go to the kitchen and find out if they've got any of that cold custard cream left. Do you not think it would be very soothing on my sore throat?"

The young servant spun to face his Prince. Putting his hands on his hips Merlin said, "Arthur, how is it that you can have your ribs cracked in a joust, or have someone slice your arm with a sword deeply enough to need stitching, or get kicked with a steel-toed boot during a hand-to-hand combat and never make a sound, and yet you get a little bit of a cold and you turn into a four year old child?"

"Does that mean you are not going to get the custard?" Arthur asked with disappointment.

"Arrgh!," cried Merlin, rapidly going from simply irritated to angry, until he had a sudden idea.

"You know what, Arthur?" he asked with a grin.

"Wha-at?" asked Arthur, narrowing his eyes with suspicion at his servant's sudden change of attitude.

"I think I know _exactly_ what you need for your sore throat. Custard won't do any good at all," Merlin answered.

"But I _like_ custard," answered Arthur, still suspicious.

"No, what you need is _definitely_ some of Gaius' strongest elixir, I'd say. It tastes _disgusting_ ; take my word for it, he practically poured some down my throat yesterday. But it works," said Merlin firmly.

"No, that's fine Merlin. I'd prefer you to get me the custard," said the Prince anxiously. "I'm sure that will do just as well."

Merlin put his bucket down; the bath was not quite full, but it would have to do Arthur for this one night. "No, you deserve nothing but the best Arthur," the servant insisted. "So while you take your bath, I will get the elixir and send George back to you with it. Good night, Sire."

A frantic cry of _"MERLIN!"_ followed the smiling young servant has he headed back to his chambers to get some badly needed sleep.


	13. Recital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might have been waiting for this chapter :)

With only a few days before the announcements were to be made, Master Randall had still not come to any conclusion on whether it was better to offer Merlin an apprenticeship or not. Almost the worst part of his dilemma was that he had to hide so much from his wife. Of course Mathilda already knew about his collaboration with Gaius and wholeheartedly supported their efforts, including helping in whatever way she could. But he did not even _consider_ telling her about Merlin's destiny. That secret was too dangerous and personal to the boy and his mentor. The Master felt very privileged that Gaius had entrusted him with it, and doubted that his old friend would have done so for anyone else.

Randall had hoped to talk to Gaius about the question of the apprenticeship, but unfortunately the physician had been away both times the musician had gone to his friend's quarters. Tonight the musician wanted to try something different, so after his dinner Master Randall returned to his classroom and took out his lute. He went through a few of his favourite songs hoping for inspiration, and was just beginning a slow and intricate melody, when Gaius sought _him_ out.

"Ahh, I thought I would find you here," the physician said, after the Master had called for him to enter. "I need to talk to you … about Merlin," he added.

Master Randall put down his lute and stood up to greet his friend. "What's the matter Gaius, is the boy ill again?" the musician asked on seeing Gaius serious countenance. "He seemed well today, and his voice is virtually back to normal; I've even had him singing for a few days now."

"No, no, Merlin is fine," Gaius said reassuringly. "But I wanted to ask you… when we first talked and you did not yet know _your_ kitchen boy was _my_ ward, you mentioned that you were thinking of offering _that_ boy an apprenticeship…?"

Master Randall nodded, "Yes, and now that I know his secret, I admit I am unsure what I should do. I was hoping for a chance to talk it over with you."

"I've come to ask you _not_ to do it, Randall," said Gaius. "If Merlin is indeed Emrys, were he to choose to leave Camelot it could throw the entire future of Albion into chaos."

Master Randall grimaced at this, as he'd had the same fear. "Yes, but you said yourself that it would take him years to grow into his powers. If I _did_ take him, he could hone those skills away from Camelot, and come back when he had mastered them. Perhaps _that_ is what his destiny _wants_."

"I had not really thought of that," admitted Gaius, "But I believe he must stay here. You have not seen him with our Prince, Randall, but Merlin has changed him. For the better."

At the musician's look of skepticism, Gaius added, "You have noticed it yourself, old friend. The boy has a nature that is cheerful and trustworthy, tenacious and intelligent. The people he is close to cannot seem to help seeking his approval and his friendship, and that is only given if they prove worthy of it."

The Master began to nod slowly, "I've seen that you are not immune," he said smiling at Gaius.

"No, I am not. I've come to love the boy, and that in itself should tell you something," Gaius answered seriously. "When was the last time I have allowed someone to get so close? I have even started to see signs that it is influencing the young knights in the Prince's inner circle."

Master Randall raised his eyebrows, "They would look for approval from a commoner?" he asked.

Gaius chuckled, "I don't think they realize they are even doing it, but Arthur definitely does, and they tend to follow his lead. The point is, though, that he must be _here_ to have that influence."

"But his magic…" said the Master.

"… is only part of the picture, Randall," Gaius continued. "I think that the bond the prophecy speaks of is much more than that, although it will evidently be an important part. Emrys is foretold to help unite _all_ of Albion; magical, non-magical … and also… noble and commoner. That cannot be forced _magically;_ it will be _done_ through _respect_ of each one for the other, and somehow the boy seems to make this happen."

Master Randall narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. "You know, I think you are right, Gaius. Perhaps it is no coincidence that this same boy has me finally ready to open the teaching of Court Music to our common people."

"Undoubtedly," answered Gaius with a smile. "So are we agreed?"

"I…still need to think it over Gaius. You have made a very good argument, but I still feel it may be wrong not to at least let the young man make his own decision."

Gaius firmed his mouth into a tight line, but found he could not argue with his friend. "I can only hope you come to the same conclusion, Randall," he said. "I will leave you to your thoughts then, as I must get back to my workshop."

"Thank you Gaius. I shall see you tomorrow," the Master said, as he walked the physician to the door.

* * *

The more Master Randall weighed Gaius' words, the more he found he agreed with them. It was not long until he had concluded that Gaius was right, and reluctantly decided that he would not offer the apprenticeship to the young warlock. That made it _obvious_ that he should also keep the boy oblivious about exactly how talented he was, or so he thought before telling his wife of his decisions.

"Randall, I don't necessarily agree about not offering the apprenticeship, although at least I understand your reasons,but whether you take him on or not, he _still_ should be told of his talents," Mathilda practically spat at him. She was so angry that the Master was surprised that sparks were not flying from her hair, and he took a step back just in case.

"But if I tell him, then it would be very awkward to not also make him an offer," he answered. "This way, nobody will be the wiser, and we can _all_ just go about our business the way we always have. I _promise_ you, I will in any case begin to set things in motion for the teaching of commoners, my dear." It had all seemed so easy and reasonable before the musician had told his wife the obvious plan.

" _Fair_ sometimes _means_ awkward, Randall. If it is right, you need to take _action_ ," she said, not sympathetic at all towards his peace of mind.

"I've already told him he was good for a servant. What more can I do without giving him false hopes?" the musician asked, trusting that his wife would see reason.

"But he is _not_ 'good for a servant'; he is simply ' _good'_. Much _more_ than ' _good'._ You've told me you had never seen such a natural talent. You _need_ to let him perform at the Gala," Mathilda insisted.

"No, absolutely not," said Master Randall. "Look, I will tell him about the extent of his talent before we leave, but I cannot let him perform. The nobles would not stand for it. The _King_ would have my head! And then, when it is so obvious that he is superior to any of the other candidates, what then, Mathilda?" he asked, falling back on the excuse he had decided to use for not taking Merlin on as an apprentice.

"Then your audience will sit back and ask themselves questions, Randall. They will hardly be able to deny what they've heard," she countered, trying to be reasonable. "It is not fair to the boy, nor to the public, to deny him his art."

The Master stood obstinately, arms folded across his chest, as his wife continued her argument "If you tell him of his talent but do not let him perform, then he has no real hope of ever using it again and that will cause him pain, now that he has learned so much. But if others see him perform, then _some_ may be inclined to let him continue even if it is infrequent. Randall, think about it; you can even influence that: suggest that a singing servant is a rare gem, and much more impressive for a Lord or a _King_ to have than a simple jester."

"No, I'm sorry, Mathilda, but I cannot," Master Randall said decisively. "My program of music for the evening has already been finalized, and in any case we have no time to do any such influencing at this stage. The most I can do is start encouraging the idea of teaching commoners as we visit the noble Courts and Houses. Perhaps then it will have become acceptable by the next time we are in Camelot, and I can make Merlin an offer then."

"Well, _I_ think you are making a _big_ mistake, but I can see there is no arguing with you!" Mathilda spat, and turning her back on her husband, she left the room and headed toward their dinner in the Great Hall without waiting for him to join her.

* * *

After so many long hours of classes and of practicing, the day that everyone had been waiting anxiously for had finally arrived. Well, everyone but a melancholy young warlock. Tonight the apprentices would be announced, and tomorrow the Master and his wife, along with their newly expanded retinue, would be leaving the city for the long journey back to the Musician's Keep at the borderlands of Camelot, ending Merlin's brief time as a music student.

Merlin sighed as he carried one of the lutes over to the wall near the door, where it joined a number of other instruments that were lined up and ready to be brought to the Great Hall for the Gala. He only had a few more of them to take care of, since most of the students who'd had the honour of being chosen to perform had taken their instruments with them so they could get in some frantic last minute practicing.

Once he'd finished moving the instruments for the Gala, he turned and stood with his hands on his hips looking at the remaining ones. He really needed to get started wrapping them since they were to be collected just after lunchtime for loading on the wagons, but he could not seem to bring himself to do it. It all seemed just so final!

With yet another sigh he dropped his hands and finally forced himself to get to work. He was wrapping his third viol when Master Randall strode into the room.

Looking around the musician said, "Well done, boy. You have done a lot more than I expected if you have already gotten this far along."

"Well I haven't polished the things for the Gala yet," Merlin admitted. "I've only moved them. I thought I would take care of the polishing after I'd finished everything else, since they are not going to be collected until almost dinner time." Merlin didn't add that he wanted to leave that chore until last, so he could indulge himself by having one last time of handling the instruments.

"Good thinking," said the Master. "Now, I need your help in putting away all of my things. I've decided to pack them up now so they can be put onto the wagons at the same time as the instruments, rather than waiting until tomorrow when I am no doubt trying to recover from too much wine."

Merlin smiled slightly before resuming his glum expression, but he put down the viol he'd been wrapping and came over to the Master's table, taking the box that had been stored underneath and setting it out.

Master Randall could not help noticing the boy's sadness as they worked and knowing the likely reason he said, "Merlin, I am not in a mood to pack just this moment. In fact, what I feel most is a burning need to make some music. How about we take a break and play one or two of your viol songs before we finish up here."

Merlin brightened considerably at the idea, and said, "Really? I'd like that. With all of the instruments packed, I did not think I would get any more chances to play!"

The Master smiled, knowing he'd found the reason for the young servant's unhappiness. "I think we've enough time, so go and fetch yourself a viol."

The young servant did not need to be asked twice, and immediately went over to the line of show instruments. Master Randall watched with interest as the boy made his choice. In spite of how often the boy had played for him, Merlin had rarely been given any option; the Master had usually pointed him to one or the other, wanting him to try a wide variety of tones. The musician hid his amusement as Merlin hesitated in front of what must be his favourite viol.

This one was obviously older than the rest, not shiny in the least and it even sported nicks in a few places, but the young servant loved the way the wood grain stood out, darker in some places on the back and lighter in others and enhanced all over with a rich and deep reddish-brown stain. The tuning pegs and bridge seemed to have specially carved designs and the tuning pegs were even embellished with gold paint at their edges.

Beginning to lift the instrument Merlin stopped and turned to Master Randall, "May I use this one, Master Randall?" he asked.

"Yes, any one my boy," answered the Master with a smile.

Once Merlin had brought the viol over and set it between his knees, Master Randall asked curiously, "Can you tell me why you prefer this one and not one of the new ones?"

Merlin slid his hand lovingly down the neck and said, "I …don't really know. It just looks like it needs to be played or something, and then the sound is … um…always _perfect_. It just seems to do anything I ask it to…if that makes any sense," he said, looking into the Master's eyes self-consciously.

The Master grinned and said, "Indeed, it does. You have very good taste in viols, young man. Did you know that this particularly fine instrument was gifted to me by Mistress Mathilda on the eve of our wedding? It has always been my favourite too."

Merlin's eyes opened wide, and he said, "Well I should not play it then, I can go and pick another if you prefer."

"No, Merlin," the Master said, "It does, as you say, need to be played and I think it enjoys having you in charge. So if you are ready, let us begin.

Almost as soon as the musician began his accompaniment on the lute, Merlin closed his eyes and began to play, causing the Master to smile fondly. He would not pester his young protégé about this habit today, and only wished he could dare to show the boy off to the nobles at the gala that evening; his talent truly was astounding.

* * *

Merlin was exhausted by the time the dinner was finished and the dishes returned to the kitchen. This was one of the largest gatherings he had ever had to serve. Not only were all of the competitors and their families present, even the ones who had been eliminated in the earlier rounds, but most of the nobility in the City had also been invited.

Because of the large number of guests, the young servant had been asked not only to attend Master Randall and his wife, but also most of the other nobles seated at that side of the main table. Whether it was their normal nature or just due to their excitement over the potential for their children to be named as apprentices, many of the guests he'd served were particularly overbearing and pompous and expected immediate satisfaction of every little whim, something that just was not possible with so many to serve. Merlin had lost count of how many times he'd been called an idiot or been threatened with some disciplinary action for being too slow to pour the wine or fetch a sweet. He could only hope that once the gala started, the insatiable guests would stop making so many demands and concentrate on watching the show. He certainly hoped _he_ would be able to do so too, although didn't think it very likely at this point.

He finally got a moment of respite when Master Randall and his wife moved to the front of the room to start off the entertainment. Apparently it was a tradition that they opened the concert with a duet of their own composition. Merlin watched breathless as the accomplished musicians wove a spell, alternating between singing and playing of lute and of flute, with variations where both sang or one sang while the other accompanied, or both played. The young servant was awestruck; he had not really heard Master Randall really play to his full potential before, and to hear two Masters of the art together was almost overwhelming.

All too soon their number was over, and they began inviting the talented young musicians whom they had chosen to perform. Merlin was not surprised to see William was among them, and he had to smile at the young singer's rendition of the same ballad he had performed weeks earlier. This time, though, there was no comparison. By the end of the song, one would truly have thought the young man had won his only true love, so rapturous was his face as he sang. As William left the stage, he met Merlin's eyes with a haughty look. This caused the young Warlock to smile even more, and he dared to give William a thumbs up sign, surprised when the young man began to smile back in what actually seemed to be gratitude.

Merlin shrugged and leaned back against the wall, waiting for the next performers, but to his disappointment, he was asked to go to the wine cellars to fetch more wine, and so missed a few of the acts.

The evening continued in much the same manner, Merlin managing to fully watch only a few of the performances between being called again and again to fetch something or pour something or clean up a spill. He was glad that both the flutist and the string quartet that had performed on the same night as William had been asked to play again. He remembered to look over at Sir Leon for the latter, and smiled broadly when he noticed the knight leaning forward in his seat, gaze never veering from the young dark-haired girl who was playing the treble viol.

The young servant never noticed how Master Randall kept looking over at him throughout the performance. The Master had noted how hard Merlin had been working for the families of the music students, with never any sign of gratitude for his efforts. It was as if the young boy was beneath their notice, but the Master realized that as a servant, Merlin probably was considered so. When one of the guests had the audacity to slap the boy for spilling a few drops of wine, though, and Master Randall could clearly see that the fault had been with the noble and not the servant, the musician had had enough. Merlin did not deserve to be treated that way, not in _this_ room with _these_ guests in any case. The boy had more talent in his little finger than most of the other young musicians had in their whole bodies; and that included most of the students he would be naming to apprenticeships. The young servant deserved some respect for his talents, respect that he would only get if he was heard. Mathilda had been right, the boy _needed_ to play in this Gala.

So, when Master Randall rose after the last of the students had performed, he did not call up his wife and begin the naming of the apprentices, as everyone had expected. Instead, he first went over to the conductor of the orchestra that had been accompanying the students, and had a few words with him that were too quiet for anyone else to hear. Then, as the conductor in turn spoke to his musicians, Master Randall came back to the front of the room and said, "Now before I bring this recital to its end, I've got one more thing to show you." Looking around the room until he spotted the young warlock pouring wine for someone at the far end of the table, he called, "Merlin, come here, please."

Unfortunately, Merlin was not listening just then, and so didn't react to his name until the hall went quiet and all eyes turned towards him.

"Merlin," came another sharp command, "I've asked you to come here."

Merlin stopped short from where he was about to pour wine into another cup and stared in confusion at Master Randall, but still did not make any move.

"Boy, I've asked you to come here, and you are, as I understand it, still in my service since I've not left Camelot yet, so you will obey," the musician snapped.

"But… " stammered the young man, looking nervously around the room. Over on the other side of the table Arthur chuckled, wondering what the Master wanted from Merlin. Ewan, the young knight sitting beside the Prince said, "I can't wait to see what he's got in store for your servant, Arthur. This should be amusing."

Merlin had heard the comment and gave Ewan a glare, but noticing that the rest of the guests were watching him, and that even the King himself was frowning, Merlin did not dare to object and so put down his carafe, and slowly walked towards the stage.

As he reached the front of the room, the Master gestured over to one of the students holding a bass viol and said, "Geraint, lend him your instrument if you please."

Geraint hesitated as though he did not want the commoner touching his viol, but under the Master's scrutiny, he reluctantly came forward and handed it to Merlin, followed by the bow.

Merlin took both pieces, and although he still looked confused over why he'd been called forward, Arthur could see how he stroked the neck of the instrument in what almost looked like a loving caress.

"I'd like to show you something that I've had to put up with during my entire stay here. This serving boy had the audacity to touch the instruments in the music room without my leave, and so to prevent him damaging anything in his ignorance, I've had to show him the rudiments," said the Master.

Uther looked outraged and gesturing at one of the guards standing by the door to come forward, said, "Master Randall, I apologize if this buffoon has damaged anything. Rest assured he will spend time in the dungeons for his presumption on this."

But the Master waved him off and said, "No matter, Sire. It amused me to see if the boy was capable of learning anything, and so now I'd like to share his efforts with you all, so that you can all witness firsthand what can happen when a commoner tries to foray out of the kitchens and into the finer arts."

Merlin had gone bright red by this point, and was glaring angrily at the Master for the humiliation he would no doubt be subjected to in a few moments. The young warlock knew that the Master did consider him to play reasonably well _for a commoner_ , but he had no illusions that this crowd would appreciate that, especially not after having seen the very best of the talented and highly trained young musicians that had already performed that evening. There had not even been any beginners among the students who had played, other than the one string quartet of young ladies, but they had played as a group not solo.

Merlin knew that Master Randall had seemed to enjoy playing with him, but he also remembered the many times that the Master had humiliated him in front of his students. Those times had always been as part of some lesson that the musician was trying to teach, and since it had slowed, but not stopped even after the Master knew his true identity, Merlin could only think that perhaps the Master did not realize how much it had hurt him. But it was one thing to be subjected to it in front of a few students, and quite another to have it happen in front of a room full of very judgemental nobles, the King first among them.

Uther objected before Merlin could say anything though, "Master Randall, I understand your disgust but surely you will not subject the entire court to this … this….."

While some of the other nobles also looked outraged and still others looked like they were ready for some jester-like amusement, what Arthur noticed was how reverently Merlin still held both viol and bow. He began to suspect that the Master Musician had some other motive than causing laughter.

"Sire, I promise that you will enjoy this," Master Randall said to his King, beckoning Merlin over to the chair that had been used by the soloists.

Once Merlin was reluctantly seated and ready to play, the Master looked over to him and said quietly, so that only Merlin could hear, "Relax boy, and don't be angry. I'm trying to make a point but it's not what everyone thinks. Now when the accompaniment starts, and even though I've told you not to do it in past, I want you to close your eyes and let the music transport you, just like you did in the lesson room. Don't worry about the people here. Just play."

Merlin's anger was instantly replaced by confusion and surprise as he looked up the Master. Did the man mean what Merlin thought? He didn't have Merlin up here to make a fool of himself?

At the man's reassuring smile, Merlin took a firmer hold of his bow, and turned his thoughts away from the watching crowd and towards the feel of the viol, secure between his legs, and the familiar ridge of the strings beneath his fingers and the warm and comfortable weight of the bow in his other hand. Closing his eyes, he waited for the accompaniment to begin.

Ewan chuckled as he watched, and nudged the Prince, "Look at your idiot servant. He's got his eyes closed. I hope he doesn't fall asleep up there!"

Arthur laughed back, but as he noticed the look of peaceful concentration on Merlin's face, and at how comfortable the boy looked holding his instrument, he became more certain that this would not be the comic relief that the crowd expected, and instead that the joke would be on the listeners.

Finally the orchestra conductor counted the beat, and the music began, filling the hall with its sound; all the musicians playing quickly and with fervour. Well, all of the musicians except Merlin, who still sat unmoving with his eyes closed.

"Idiot's forgotten to play! Maybe he really did fall asleep," said Ewan with another laugh.

But Arthur recognized the song and with a look of dawning wonder at the virtuosity that the solo part would require said, "No Ewan, I don't think that's it at all. Just wait because he is only meant to come in later."

The conductor continued to lead the musicians, and Merlin continued to sit while the music soared and ebbed and soared again; it reminded Arthur of the excitement and spirit of a battle. But then the beat slowed and tone of the piece turned plaintive, mournful. Arthur thought this may be about the loss of loved ones and was so caught up in the beauty of the piece that he barely noticed as Merlin placed his bow on his viol, and began to draw it across the strings.

What came out of the instrument stunned the hall. The tone was like velvet; rich and deep and so sweet and perfect that as the song spun on many of the women were crying and even a few of the men had glistening eyes. Still Merlin played on, eyes closed, swaying with the sound, wrapped so tightly in the music that he no longer seemed to be aware of where he was or what he was doing. He _was_ the music.

And though the piece was not as technically difficult to play as what some of the other, more advanced, musicians had done, everything else about it was undeniably much superior to anything else heard that evening. It was obvious that the boy had a rare talent. Even Uther sat watching in open-mouthed surprise, unable to believe that a commoner with less than two-months of exposure to any type of Court Music could be generating this type of beauty and emotion with his instrument.

Finally, reluctantly, the song came to an end. But rather than the enthusiastic clapping that had followed the other musicians, this time there was dead silence as the crowd tried to absorb what they'd heard.

The silence was short though, and Arthur was the first to jump to his feet, shouting his appreciation and clapping like a madman. Almost instantly the rest of the hall followed suit. Even the King clapped and smiled in wonder.

The applause startled Merlin, who had sat with his eyes still closed, and hunched over his instrument as though not wanting to be parted from it. He grudgingly began to pull himself out of the remnants of his song in order to come back to full awareness of the hall, the crowd, the mad clapping going on all around him, and finally of the Master walking toward him with a big smile on his face, arm stretched out toward him and inviting him to stand and take a bow.

* * *

Master Randall had no intention of letting Merlin go back to his servitude that evening, and so once the boy had returned the viol and bow to a staring and open-mouthed Geraint, he took the young servant by the shoulders and led him over to a seat among the rest of the waiting students. They had, gladly and unasked, rushed to pull up a chair for him, recognizing even more than the others in the Hall how much he deserved to be there. For his part Merlin took his seat, sparing a confused glance over towards a proud Arthur, obviously still not quite realizing what had happened.

Once Merlin had been seated to his satisfaction, Master Randall finally called up his beaming wife. To his surprise, she kissed him, pleased and proud that he had made what to her had been the right decision. He smiled back at her for a moment before the two turned to face the hall and began the so highly anticipated naming of the apprenticeships.

Merlin was able to shake off his performance at last, and sat happily among the music students, glad that he was able just to sit and enjoy the triumphs of the successful candidates, feeling almost like an equal to them. Some of them even included him in their happy hugs and handclasps on being named, before they rushed to the front to join the growing line of beaming new apprentices. Merlin was not surprised to see William among that group, and was happy to see that one of the special students was also in the lineup, although the boy that the Master had ranted at on that fateful day was not. Master Randall had said there were several magic-users who were already elite musicians, and so were likely also included, although Merlin never had found out who they were.

* * *

Once all of the apprenticeships had been given, and the happy students had gone back to their seats, Master Randall held up his hands for silence. "As you know, it has been my tradition to end my recitals with a song that I wrote many years ago for the Lady Ygraine on the day of her wedding to our King," he began.

Arthur, and indeed most of the Court, knew that the Master's signature song was virtually the only public tribute that the King would allow for her.

"I will do so again, but this time I am going to sing it a little bit differently," he said. "Merlin, will you please come here."

Merlin's eyes opened wide with surprise, and he had to be pushed out of his seat by the young girl sitting beside him. He walked slowly and anxiously to join the musician. From the shuffling and whispering in the Hall it was clear that it was not only Merlin who did not know what to expect.

"You have all heard this boy play the viol, and I think he has made it obvious that we can no longer assume that a musical ability depends purely on breeding and bloodlines," Master Randall explained. "Although I would have liked to offer Merlin an apprenticeship, unfortunately I may not do so at this time. I am sure many of you, having heard him, will agree that he is worthy of it." Master Randall and Merlin both looked around the Hall and were pleased to notice that the number of nodding heads far outweighed the number of scowls. "Unfortunately I do not think that the nobility at large throughout Camelot would accept it yet." Master Randall continued, "But I wish to announce to you all, that it is my intention to open up my teaching to _all_ who have a desire and who show a talent. Perhaps on my next selection tour I may indeed turn a serving boy into a Master Musician."

Merlin, so used to being in the background, especially in public, was blushing at the attention he was receiving from the crowd – most of it very appreciative. Arthur smiled broadly at him from across the Hall, and Gaius, who was seated at one of the tables towards the back of the room, looked proud enough to burst. Morgana was also smiling warmly at him, as was Gwen.

Thinking his moment of recognition had come to an end, Merlin said a heartfelt, "Thank you" to Master Randall, and turned as if to head back to his seat, only to be stopped by Master Randall, who had grabbed his arm to prevent him from leaving.

Once the Master made sure that Merlin would not go anywhere, he said, "Now, to show you just how right this decision is, Merlin would you please do me the honour of singing this last song with me?"

Merlin had a moment of panic, "But Master Randall, I don't think I even know it!" he whispered.

The Master smiled reassuringly and said, "Indeed you do, and I've been wondering whether this moment might come since you added your harmony to the song on that very first day, young man."

Merlin gaped for a moment as he finally understood which song the Master meant. " _That_ is your signature song? I'm sorry, I would never….

Master Randall chuckled, "I am very glad you did, Merlin, and now, let us show this crowd of nobles what you can do with it!"

Merlin smiled and nodded, standing beside the Master Musician while the man gestured over to the orchestra to begin. The young servant listened to the introduction with wonder, never having heard the accompaniment played other than with the Master's lute. Beside this difference, they performed the song just as they had done it in the Small Hall so many times before.

As they sang, the Master was ever gladder that he had asked the boy to sing it with him. The musician glanced over towards the King. Tonight he could tell that the Uther was more than simply 'enduring' the tribute to his late wife. The beautiful melody and intricate harmony that the two singers were intertwining had brought tears to the King's eyes … and a smile to his face. What Uther was hearing was a thing of joy, and it had managed to transport the King back to a happier time when his radiant young bride stood by his side, smiling as she accepted his ring and his troth, ready for their bright future together.

* * *

As had happened when Merlin had played the viol, after the two singers ended their song, there was complete silence for a few moments during which the listeners wiped their eyes and got their emotions under control. After that, almost as one they stood and began to applaud. This time it was not the frantic, enthusiastic clapping brought about by surprise and amazement, but the forceful and heartfelt applause to show their respect for and appreciation of the artistry of the musicians.

It seemed to Merlin to last forever, and he was not exactly sure what he was meant to do. Finally, Master Randall turned to face him gestured towards him, presenting him to the crowd, before the Master himself began to clap. Nodding at him, the musician indicated that Merlin should take a bow, so the young servant self-consciously lowered his head, only to hear the crowd clap even harder. Finally, the Master took his own bow, and at last the moment was over.

Master Randall gestured at him that he could return to his seat, and soon the Master invited his wife back up to the front, where the two musicians thanked everyone, bringing the show to a close.

Merlin sat for a moment, wondering exactly what he should do next, but eventually concluded that most likely he'd be expected to return to his duties. There were plenty of things that needed to be cleaned or put away now that the show was over. So he rose from his chair and began to make his way back towards the tables. He didn't get very far though.

Mistress Mathilda was the first to accost him, grabbing him and even giving him a peck on the cheek. "You were wonderful young man, just _wonderful_. I'm so glad my husband came to his senses and let you perform."

Merlin could only offer her a bewildered 'Thank you' before she rushed off to congratulate one of her apprentices.

The next thing he knew, William stood before him. "Um, I wish I had known that you could sing like that before; but you never sounded like that in class…," the young singer said apologetically. "Anyway, I feel like quite an ass now, but I wanted you to know that I _did_ actually listen to what you told me," he added.

Merlin smiled brightly, "I did notice, and you were great tonight, William. Congratulations on your apprenticeship and I'm sure you will do well,"

William smiled back, "Thank you, Merlin. And…really you do deserve to be coming with us, you know."

"Thanks," Merlin responded wistfully.

He never did resume his duties in the Great Hall that evening; it seemed that everyone wanted to congratulate him or ask him where he had learned to sing. Even the King had stopped to say "Well boy, it is good to know that you have a talent for at least something." Merlin had thanked him and then practically choked in his surprise when the King had casually added, "Perhaps I shall have you perform again one day," before he turned to offer his congratulations to one of the new apprentices standing nearby. All in all it was quite overwhelming for the young servant, and in spite of how pleased he was to have his talents acknowledged, especially by Master Randall, he was very happy when he was finally able to escape back to his chambers.

* * *

"So Merlin, I'm sure I've said it before, but you never cease to amaze me!" said Arthur sincerely a little later on that evening.

The young servant had found himself in Arthur's chambers not long after he'd arrived home to his own, realizing that he was far too wound up from the events of the evening to go off to his bed just yet.

Merlin shook his head at the memory of all the applause. "I had _no_ _idea_ he was going to ask me to perform, Arthur," he said as he took the Prince's nightclothes out of the wardrobe.

Arthur laughed, "I could tell, that," he said, "I almost thought you were going to faint once he got you up there the first time."

Merlin gave him a glare, and went over to close the window.

"But, truly Merlin," said the Prince more seriously. "I was very proud of you; getting called up to perform in front of all of those people with no advance notice. It could not have been easy, and honestly, you were fantastic up there; better than anyone else – much to my _immense_ surprise."

"Well, it's not like I really had a lot of choice," he said. "I was worried that Master Randall just wanted me up there so everyone could have a good laugh, so I was really dreading it," he admitted.

As Merlin pulled the curtains shut, a knock sounded at the door, and then even before Arthur could give whoever it was permission to enter, the door crashed open.

"Merlin, you ran out of the Hall before I got a chance to congratulate you," cried out Morgana, rushing over to where the young servant still stood by the window, though he had spun around in surprise. "You really were wonderful. I almost couldn't believe it when I heard you play, and then when you sang…" she said, and kissed him on the cheek to show how much she had appreciated it.

"Thank you," he said, immediately blushing a bright red.

"Yes, you _were_ amazing, Merlin. Have you really learned the viol only since the Master has been here?" Gwen said, once she'd entered the room at a more leisurely pace than her Lady.

"Um, yes I did, Gwen," the young servant answered, "I'll really miss playing it when Master Randall leaves, though," he admitted sadly.

"Oh, I'm sure Arthur or I can scrounge one up somewhere, and you can play for me anytime," said Morgana, causing Merlin to look at her hopefully and to blush even harder.

"Okay, ladies," Arthur laughed, "You've given your words of eternal devotion to our new star, now please leave before it starts to go to his head, because I need him to concentrate on finding the rest of my nightclothes. So…," and Arthur made an elaborate sweep of his arms to gesture them out the door.

Turning to his servant, the Prince said, "So, Merlin ...," breaking off into an evil smile when he noticed how his servant was still blushing and gazing at the door that Morgana had just exited through. "It seems that you now have all the skills you will ever need to serenade young maids, although I must caution you not to practice on Morgana!"

Merlin quickly dropped his gaze and pretended he had not been watching her leave. "What? I wasn't…" he stammered before turning back to the window and snapping the curtains closed.

Much to the young warlock's embarrassment, Arthur continued to laugh fondly at him almost until he fled the chambers after having dressed the Prince in his nightclothes.


	14. Departure

The morning after the Gala marked the last day of Master Randall's visit. He was busy seeing to the arrangements for his new apprentices, and would be leaving shortly after the midday meal.

Merlin did not need to attend the Master that morning, since the packing up of the Small Hall had been taken care of the previous day. Arthur had given him the morning off, partly as a reward for his servant's unexpected performance the evening earlier, and partly so the boy would be available in case Master Randall did need him for something after all.

Merlin was up early anyway and feeling a bit melancholy as he sat eating his breakfast with Gaius. Though the young servant was looking forward to going back to resuming his duties with Arthur, he was going to miss the duties he'd had with Master Randall and, most especially, with being immersed in music all day, every day.

He enjoyed the camaraderie that he had with the Prince, and he was sure that the feeling was mutual, even though Arthur was probably not quite ready to admit it. Yet, Merlin's destiny was a heavy one, and it saddened him to realize that a potential happy life as a Court Musician had been denied him in place of this continuing life of secrecy, danger and under-appreciation that he had long since accepted would be his burden. Still, he acknowledged, the end result would be worth it when it finally came about.

Gaius seemed to know what he was thinking, for he put a warm hand on his ward's shoulder and gave it a sympathetic squeeze as he handed the young warlock another cup of tea.

Merlin smiled up at his mentor in thanks just as a loud knocking sounded at the door.

"Gaius, Merlin!" boomed Master Randall's voice as he entered the room, having first placed a large padded bag outside of the chambers, just to the side of the doorway where it was hidden from the sight of the room's occupants.

The physician and his ward both rose at the Master's greeting and headed over toward the door to greet him.

"I thought you would be packing up your things," said Merlin with a slight frown. "Did you need me this morning? I'll come right away if you do!"

"No, no, my boy," he answered. "I'm all packed up and have just come to say my goodbyes to you both in person, since I don't know how much chance I'll get for it later."

Just as Merlin and Gaius neared him, the Master backed up a step in order to pick up the hidden pack. Handing it to his former servant he said, "and I wanted to give you this, Merlin," watching the boy carefully.

Merlin took the bundle from him, eyes widening as he took the object, realizing what it was before he even opened it.

"Master, Randall!" he exclaimed, beginning to unwrap the viol and confirming his suspicions. "But… why?" Then he stopped speaking as he exposed more of the instrument, and suddenly his mouth gaped and his eyes widened even more. Looking up in awe he said, "But… but this is _your_ viol! Why would you give it to me?"

The Master sat down with a smile of amusement as he and Gaius watched Merlin gaze in rapture at the beautiful instrument, running his finger reverently over the finely polished wood of the scroll and then down the neck, and finally plucking softly on the six open strings just for the joy of hearing them ring out.

"That's why, my boy. That's exactly why!" the Master musician answered softly to himself.

Merlin tore his gaze away from the viol and looked back at Master Randall with an embarrassed smile, obviously thinking he'd been rude in ignoring his guest.

The Master smiled back thinking only about how young the boy still was, and knowing he'd been right to give Merlin this gift. He hoped it would bring the young warlock much pleasure and help to ease some of the load he would surely have to bear alone if he was indeed the prophesied Emrys.

When Merlin still seemed uncertain about accepting such a fine instrument, Master Randall insisted, "Merlin, you deserve this. If I'd had my way, you would have been among the group heading out with me, off to a life where instruments like this would have been part of your everyday tools. But I understand why it cannot be that way. You've got much more important things to do here."

Merlin looked down rather sadly at this, and the Master wondered if the boy was unhappy about his destiny.

"You will honour me and Mathilda by taking this," he said gently, "She practically ran to get it herself when I asked her for permission to gift it to you." Chuckling, he added, "And if I'm not mistaken, King Uther will also be pleased."

Merlin looked up in surprise at this, but Master Randall nodded and continued, "You did not see him watching you as you played last night. You know how he loves his music, and I think he was glad when he found that I was going to leave you here. Do not be surprised if our King wishes to show off his servant-musician, and you'll need that to keep in practice," Master Randall continued.

The Master was glad to see Merlin brighten at the idea that he'd have an excuse to keep studying his music.

With Merlin still marveling at his viol, Gaius invited Master Randall over to the table where they had been eating breakfast before he had arrived. Once the musician was seated with a cup of tea, Gaius asked, "So Randall, were you pleased with the apprentices you were able take on here?"

Merlin paused in the adoration of his viol to come and sit at the table with them, and looked up to hear the answer.

"That's good Gaius," the Master said appreciatively, after taking a sip of tea. Setting the cup aside for a moment he continued, "Yes, all in all I am very satisfied. All are outstanding musicians and can no doubt pursue Masteries in that calling wherever they eventually end up." The Master looked over at Merlin for a moment, and added gently, "I only regret that the young man who would have been best suited to become my personal apprentice had other obligations, so I am leaving that spot open for the time being." Merlin lowered his eyes self-consciously, and Master Randall decided to change the subject slightly by turning back to his old friend and saying, "Gaius, in the end I was able to offer positions in my household to seven of our people."

Merlin and Gaius both smiled at the news that so many young sorcerers would be able to leave Camelot safely.

Suddenly Merlin's smile faded and he turned to the Master Musician. "Master Randall, you must think I am so ungrateful! I almost forgot to thank you for the viol," he said urgently. "I'm really sorry I didn't say so before, but I was just so … surprised! So … Thank you!"

The Master chuckled, "That's fine, my boy," he said, "Your thanks were certainly implied by how you handled that instrument after you took it from me. I understand perfectly so don't worry about it."

Merlin sighed with relief, while the Master became serious once more. He glanced over at Merlin a couple of times and looked like he might say something, but instead he took a sip of his tea and then put the cup back down fiddling with the handle.

Merlin looked up at him questioningly, and finally the man said softly, kindly, "Merlin… I want to know …. If I had offered you an apprenticeship….. would you have accepted it?"

The young warlock thought about it for a long moment before saying hesitantly, "I… don't know Master Randall. I think… probably not, but that may have raised its own suspicions."

The Master and Gaius both nodded their agreement and Merlin explained, "My destiny seems to have this way of forcing me back to it any time I try to break away. I've learned that it is usually not very pleasant for anyone when that happens."

Gaius put his arm on Merlin's shoulder for a moment and gave his young ward a sympathetic smile.

Merlin returned the gesture with a brief, grim smile of his own before turning back to the musician and saying, "So I guess I am happy…. No, actually I am certain of it..., that you did not make me the offer. That way we never needed to find out what the consequences would have been."

Master Randall gave a slow exhalation before saying, "I'm … glad then. Not making you an offer you so truly deserved, in the name of some destiny you may not have had any desire for, and without even asking you first, has been sitting very ill with me. I ask your forgiveness. If I had it to do over again I think I would have at least first talked to you about your wishes."

"No, don't worry Master Randall," answered the young warlock sincerely. "You know, I half think that your decision not to talk to me may also have been the work of that same destiny. We may never know for sure, but in the end I am certain that this is how things must be."

Merlin looked on the floor beside him, to where he had carefully placed his new viol. "I certainly don't regret a single moment of my studies with you, and what I have learned cannot be taken away. _That_ pleasure is more than I ever hoped for," he said.

Master Randall stood and gave Merlin's shoulder a warm squeeze. "For that I am truly glad boy. I don't regret a single moment either, and your success will pave the way for other commoners, even though you may not be among them. Yet." As Merlin and Gaius walked with him to the door, the musician said, "And once your destiny is achieved there may yet be a place for you among my Masters!"

Merlin smiled at the thought of a future where he would be free as both a sorcerer _and_ a musician. The efforts of bringing about that time were usually so all-consuming that he rarely had a chance to think about what he may do for himself once it was accomplished.

"And in the meantime, you do know that you do not need to be an official apprentice of mine to make _or study_ music I hope," Master Randall said, as he got ready to leave the room.

Merlin looked up sharply, he did _know_ it, but had not really stopped to even consider that possibility.

The Master grinned and said, "I have dropped a hint into the King's ear that it would be worth his while to allow you to have a lesson or two should any of my Masters stop through on a visit. And once I've spread word about you, you can be sure that they will come rather often if I make my guess.

The bright and hopeful smile on Merlin's face was enough to have Master Randall humming as he closed the door behind him and headed back to finish the preparations for his departure.

* * *

By mid-afternoon, everyone and everything was packed and ready to depart. The new apprentices had bid farewell to their families, Uther had bid farewell to his Master Musician and his wife and promises were given by the musicians that they would return to Camelot in the near future.

Merlin waited with the other servants on the far side of the steps from where Arthur stood with his father. He gazed out into the courtyard, not able to take his eyes off the wagon that held Master Randall as it finally began to pull away from the central square. In spite of the wonderful gifts and promises of the morning, the young servant could not help feeling a sense of loss and sadness.

Arthur came to join him once the King had gone back into the castle and the travelling party reached the edge of the courtyard. Merlin realized that the Prince must have been watching him; not only that but somehow the Prince had managed to pick up on his melancholy.

But rather than any of his usual joking responses to any hints of emotion from his manservant, Arthur looked at him seriously and said, "I'm sorry Merlin. I know you would have liked an opportunity to study as a musician and I don't think it's fair that it's been denied to you just because you are a commoner."

When Merlin looked at the Prince in surprise at the admission, Arthur put his hand on the warlock's shoulder and said, "But you should be very proud that your talent has started to put a change in motion. I don't know how long it will take, but I promise you that when I am King, I will ensure that ALL of my people can pursue their dreams and use their talents. Who knows, maybe one of your own sons or daughters will one day be the Court Musician of Camelot."

It took Merlin a few moments to rein in his feelings before he choked out, "Thank you, Sire. I believe you."

By then Arthur had had enough of the charged emotions, so grabbing Merlin around his shoulders and drawing him towards the castle he said, "And of course since you _can't_ leave with them, it means that unfortunately I am now stuck _back_ with you, and you certainly _don't_ have much talent for this job, so you'd better get practicing. I think you can start by cleaning my room, then you can do my laundry, and …yes the horses haven't been mucked out for a few days… and…."

As he allowed himself to be led away to the droning of the Prince's familiar orders, the last of Merlin's sadness was chased away. He knew he was exactly where he needed to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it. The end!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed my singing/viol-playing young warlock. I love him to bits, and I think Master Randall has gone home and raved about our boy, so we can be sure that Merlin had many Master musicians seek him out to hear him play and teach him. So don't feel bad that he did not get to go back to the musician's keep as an apprentice.


End file.
